Seek Solace
by Charlie Hayden
Summary: Post ROTJ. Six months after Seek Truth, Padmé decides that it is time that her family begins to mend. Luke, Leia, Han, Anakin, Padmé, Mara Jade.
1. The Time to Start to Mend

_**A/N: **This is the second three-part installment to the Seek series that I am writing, I recommend that you read Seek Truth first before reading this if you haven't. each installment consists of only three chapters. Explanations will be explained in the story as it progresses. This is a story of how the Skywalker family learns to mend after the end off ROTJ.  
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**Chapter one: **

It had been close to thirty years since Padmé had last been to Coruscant and as she looked around as she landed she wondered if it had changed at all. She hadn't planned on ever returning, but that was before she had been reunited with her children, before she felt that she had a life to return to Coruscant for. It had pained her heart to see them depart from Naboo six months prior and even though they had kept up their communication, conversing with her precious children daily, she longed to be closer but their busy schedules and lives kept them on Coruscant for the most part and she told them that she understood, which she did. So, she decided on paying them a visit, venturing away from her beloved lake retreat and Naboo for the first time since she had returned to Naboo to recuperate. Though she loved her homeworld with all her heart, a change of scenery would do wonders for her wounded soul. Luke and Leia would understand, she reasoned.

Her hands delicately flew over his ship's controls. She had always been a competent pilot before she married Anakin, but there were secrets she wasn't privy to until he had shown her. But no matter the number of lessons she had under his tutelage, her ship's controls would never be like extensions of her own body as they were for Anakin. She didn't mind, she knew that he was the better pilot and she let him have his thunder. There was a reason that the galaxy called Anakin the greatest star pilot to grace the skies and stars in all time. It was a skill that her son inherited and enjoyed as much as his father. Padmé remembered the way that she swelled with pride when the Imperial holonet named her son enemy number one for single handedly being the only pilot to not only survive the up close trench attacks on the Death Star but also was the one to fire the shot that destroyed the monstrosity. Since then his name spread across the holonet like wildfire, for his crimes against the Empire during its reign and as a celebrated war hero when the Empire fell, credited for the death of the emperor even if she knew the truth. For as much as she was proud of her son, she was equally proud of her daughter who had been involved in the rebellion long before her brother, risking her death on numerous occasions. Her children were her pride and joy and her reason for happiness of late, even if her own husband refused to speak to her.

Luke had said to let Anakin stew and to leave him to himself for a while before she should start to bug him, as he had put it. Padmé trusted that her son knew what he was talking about for Anakin was an anomaly to her now and as far as she had observed, her son was the only one who could tame his father's temper and foul moods as well as the only one who could literally drag Anakin out of his hole. Luke seemed to be undaunted in the face of his father's tendency to be unbearable, taking it with a challenging calm face, going as far to to get in his father's face and back him into a corner. Luke had his father's backbone and was twice as stubborn with a hint of patience that his father greatly lacked. There was no contest between father and son. Luke clearly held the cards and knew how to play them well, all the while wearing a serene sabacc face.

As she pondered all the things that her children were, Padmé allowed Coruscant flight control to guide her to an awaiting landing pad, relying on the high clearance code that was given to her by her daughter before they had left Naboo. For while Luke was highly regarded as a respected leader of the Rebellion and as a Jedi in a world where those in such a position were scarce, it was Leia who held most of the cards on Coruscant from her office as Vice Chair next to Supreme Chancellor Mon Mothma. Leia was politically and street savvy despite being raised as a princess. She was cunning much in the way her father was, a brilliant strategist like he was as well, and was rumored to be made of stone as much as her beauty was talked about. Leia had a strong sense of justice and knew how to be fair but never once did she let her softer side slip in when she dealt with anyone outside her circle of friends and family. Unfortunately, her was father wasn't a part of that circle. It was too bad, for Padmé knew how much she was like her father and how much she meant to her father, remembering well before either twin was born of how he instead that they were having a girl. It was something that Padmé would make a point to bring up during her visit for if her relationship with Anakin could not be mended, she would make damn sure that the rift between father and daughter was mended, it was her personal mission.

As she made a graceful landing, Padmé could only see one lone figure standing in wait for her. Though he stood at five inches below his father's height, he wasn't any less commanding or any less powerful. He stood facing her ship with his feet at shoulder width apart and hands firmly clasped behind his back, a perfect pose to mirror his father, and wore a serene mask on his face. As soon as she was sure that her ship was secure, Padmé rose from her seat and left the cockpit and descended the ramp with as much regal grace as she had ever possessed walking over to her son who greeted her warmly, his Jedi mask cracking for her only as he smiled. She reached up to kiss his cheek. Hey may not have been as tall as his father, but he still stood six inches above her. Ever conscious of the many eyes of Coruscant, Padmé took the arm her son offered her as he silently led her over to his awaiting speeder and Padmé smiled as she saw that it was obviously designed for speed, a trait he had in common with his father and clearly had no qualms about having inherited it. She allowed Luke to help her into her seat and waited for him to settle himself behind the controls as the droids loaded the speeder with her bags.

"Do you think you brought enough?" Luke asked.

"Most of it is for your sister," Padmé told him as the droids finished loading the last bag. Luke rose an eyebrow at her. "I no longer have use of it all and I thought she would have good use for it," she told him defensively.

"I didn't say anything," Luke replied calmly as he started the engine and took off, thankfully at a more moderate pace than what his father would have taken. But Padmé wasn't fooled, she knew very well that it was for her benefit alone. "Leia's guest room is taken up by her childhood friend Winter, so I'm afraid that you'll have to stay with me for the time being," he informed her.

"I understand," Padmé told him.

"You could have warned us that you were coming you know," Luke said, glancing at her.

"And where would the surprise be in that?" Padmé replied with a smile. "Coruscant doesn't seem to have changed much," she commented.

Luke shrugged. "I wouldn't know. I've only been here for six years," he replied as they traveled the airways.

"What do you think of it?" Padmé asked.

"It's too busy. What use is it for a place to never sleep? Furthermore, how does one go about trying to meditate in such a place?" Luke answered.

Padmé laughed. "Your father preferred not to meditate," she told him.

Luke looked at her blankly. "Why?" he asked.

"I don't think that there was ever a time that he could remain still long enough to even clear his mind," Padmé told him.

"Did he ever recharge then?" Luke asked.

Padmé laughed at his choice of words. "I honestly have no idea," she admitted. "I never watched him when I slept to either confirm or disprove if he did."

Luke laughed along with her as he effortlessly guided the craft towards a towering apartment complex and onto an awaiting hanger to which two very familiar droids waited for them. Luke turned to her. "Artoo said that Threepio had his memory wiped. I was going to ask Father if he installed a back up memory chip just in case," he informed her.

Padmé was dismayed at the news. "I am sure that he did, your father is a perfectionist when it comes to droids," she told him as she allowed him to help her out of the speeder.

With a wave of his hand, her bags lifted from the speeder via the Force and trailed behind them as they walked through a private door and into a sparse apartment consisting mainly of the bare basics needed to live.

"Oh, Luke, we're going to have to go shopping," Padmé told him, taking a look around.

"Whatever for?" Luke asked bewildered. "I have everything I need."

Padmé turned to him. "You need to make this place look like a home instead of... something this bare," she told him unable to find the right words to describe the dreary look of the place.

Luke just shrugged her assessment off. "It's fine to me," he said.

Padmé took solace in the fact that Luke was apparently a tidy person as she had heard about the untidiness of where Anakin had holed himself up in. She took a seat on a rather comfortable looking recliner.

Luke took a seat opposite of her. "So what do we owe the honor of this visit?" he asked.

"I missed you," Padmé told him simply.

"We speak every day," Luke reminded her.

"It's not the same, Luke," Padmé told him patiently.

"I don't know the difference to be honest," Luke admitted.

"Isn't there anyone you cannot see whenever you wish that you miss?" Padmé asked.

"Aunt Beru, Uncle Owen, Biggs, Ben," Luke listed off. "I can't see them since they all died shortly before I became public enemy number one. And the really sad part is that Father killed all of them," he put in.

Just how much sadness did her son carry that was his father's fault? Padmé acknowledged the thought sadly and marveled at how he didn't resent his father for it. It spoke volumes for his character. Wordlessly, she took his hand in hers and squeezed it in support and Luke smiled for her efforts.

"I'm fine, really. Death is a natural part of life, I accept that," Luke told her.

"That is one strength that your father does not possess," Padmé told him sadly.

"Has he spoken to you yet?" Luke asked. Padmé shook her head. Luke sighed. "You should probably go and invade his personal space then, it might be the only way you can get him to acknowledge your presence let alone speak to you. It unnerves him enough that he'll let his guard down," he told her.

"You know how to play your father well," Padmé observed.

Luke rubbed his face with his hand. "I can count on one hand the number of times he has answered me in six years," he told her. "He's a mess and I'm not sure what can be done about it," he admitted sadly. "Unless I hunt him down and pester him endlessly, he doesn't speak more than five words to anyone," he told her sadly.

"You're a good son to make that kind of effort, I know that he appreciates that on some level," Padmé told him.

Luke nodded. "I sense as much," he told her and looked her in the eye. "I know that he loves me and Leia, I don't need the Force to tell me that, but he's broken and I don't know how to help him or else I'd do it," he assured her. He shrugged. "Leia doesn't make an effort at all and I suspect that every time I do that he thinks I have an agenda to do so," he told her.

"Why would he think you have a hidden agenda?" Padmé asked.

"Because when he told me that he was my father, I more or less told him that I choose death over him," Luke told her honestly. And at his mother's disappointed look he explained. "He wanted me to join him in the dark side at the time and to rule the empire with him. I was trapped and had no real escape. I never was and still am not willing to become a Sith. I grew up a witness to their destruction, I fought against them for four years, I wanted no part of it," he explained.

It was then that Padmé realized that she had a bond with her son that she would never have with her daughter. "He made much the same request to me, Luke," she told him softly. "I relived that dark day every night for years."

Luke leaned forward and looked her in the eye. "What did he do?" he asked softly. He wouldn't judge, she knew that. It wouldn't have any impact on how he saw his father.

Padmé unconscious rubbed her neck as she relived that moment in her mind. "Obi-Wan came to me, he knew about your father and I when no one else did and we didn't tell him. This was after the massacre in the Jedi Temple. I remember watching from the clear view I had from my apartment, I didn't know that your father was leading the slaughter, that he had pledged himself to the Sith that night. I watched in fear that he was there and that he was to die defending the Temple, defending the younglings mostly. I didn't suspect anything when he came to me afterwards and told me a twisted version of the truth, that the Jedi had figured Palpatine out and went to stop him. He told me that the Jedi had betrayed the Republic and that he swore that his allegiance remained with the Republic and made me promise not to leave the apartment, to wait for him before he left for Mustafar to kill the separatists leaders on Palpation's orders. I didn't know what your father had done until Obi-Wan came to me the next day and told me, that there were security holos to confirm it. He was so broken by what your father had done, they were once as close as brothers. I refused to believe him, I couldn't. Until I saw it with my own eyes. I knew where your father had gone but he told me that he was only going to arrest the Separatists, not kill them. I needed to hear your father to tell me that Obi-Wan was mistaken..." she paused, the emotions from that day were still too raw.

"He didn't deny it did he?" Luke asked.

Padmé shook her head, her hand over her mouth as she struggled to control her emotions. "No. He didn't, he made excuses to justify what he did. He told me he had done it for me, to save me, but I was horrified. I begged him to stop before he went any further, to come back to me, to leave with me and run to where no one could find us. He was so far gone that he was unable to see reason. When he told me he planned on overthrowing Palpatine so that we could rule together and make things how we wanted them, I refused. I wanted no part in it and tried again to beg him to stop but then he saw Obi-Wan and he lost all sense of reason and sanity. He accused me of brining Obi-Wan to kill him, that I had betrayed him and as I tried to deny it, to tell him I didn't know Obi-Wan was on my ship, he..." Luke held her hand and squeezed it, telling her that he understood, that she had his support. "He reached out with the Force and choked me, he would have killed me if Obi-Wan had not intervened. I don't know what happened next because at that time I was unconscious. The next thing I remember was that I was in an unknown medical facility and Obi-Wan told me that in order to save you and your sister that the doctors had to induce labor. I told you what happened after that," she told him.

Luke looked down as he processed what he had been told. He was not blind to the atrocities his father had committed and no matter what else he learned, nothing could ever shock or horrify him more than to learn that Darth Vader was his father. He understood something else from hearing his mother's tale. "I think he believed for years that he actually did kill you," he said at last. "I can sense it. I think that is the biggest problem he had, he hated himself most for what he believed he had done," he looked up and met her gaze. "I think I understand why he won't speak to you," he said at last.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

It was a good thing that the Republic was celebrating an independence week when Padmé had decided to visit her children. But Leia suspected that her mother had planned that accordingly. If there were things that Bail had told her over the years about the mother, they would be that Padmé Amidala was the most hard working, honest, genuine and kind Senator the failing Republic had the blessing to be graced with during a time of corruption. She had heard of the countless times her mother would go on mercy missions during the Clone Wars, and had worked steadfastly along side the Jedi repeatedly and was competent enough in the midst of a fierce battle. Leia admired her mother greatly before she even knew she was her mother and modeled her own career in close resemblance to her mother's. Leia knew enough to know that her mother would not intrude if she felt that they were busy with the demands of the New Republic. In a way, Leia expected for her mother to visit for independence week. She couldn't explain how she knew, she just did and she planned accordingly. And no sooner had her door chimed then Leia was there in an instant to open it, mildly surprised to see Threepio and Artoo trailing behind with numerous packages.

"What is all this?" Leia asked as she watched her mother direct the droids with the packages.

"Things that I'm giving to you," Padmé answered her. "I no longer have any use for them and felt that you would," she explained.

"That is very generous of you," Leia said as she watched the droids start to unpack what was an endless amount of official gowns, shoes, jewelry and headdresses appropriate for being seen in during a session with the Senate. "They're all... I've never seen anything like them," she stuttered. She fingered the elaborate gowns knowing that she would feel uncomfortable in them but didn't voice them. She had resigned herself to wearing what was befitting to her station a long time ago no matter if she preferred a nice comfortable pair of trousers and a tunic and a more simpler hair style such as a braid or just letting her hair lay loose.

"I know, it's all a little too elaborate," Padmé began. "But you are in a position of power, Leia, you need to look the part. Even if much simpler attire is more comfortable," she said offering her daughter a smile.

Leia breathed a sigh of relief. "I was expecting you to be as unreasonable as Bail's sisters were," she told her.

Padmé waved a hand in dismissal. "Public perception is important to your career, yes, and you must always look the part in public but in private it is so much nicer to let yourself breath comfortably," she said.

"I'm grateful that you understand," Leia told her.

Padmé held her finger up and smiled. "Luke told me that you haven't yet started making plans for your wedding so I took the liberty to hand deliver something rather important for your day," she told her and walked over to a neatly kept cream box and gestured to it. "Go ahead, open it up," she urged.

Wordlessly Leia complied fingering a delicate hand weaved lace veil with hand sewn beading. Under it was a soft simple yet elegant bridal gown.

"It is a family heirloom handed down through generations to every Naberrie woman in my family for her wedding day," Padmé told her.

"It's beautiful," Leia told her, touched by the sentiment.

Padmé smiled. "I know how much your father is opposed to your marrying Han," she began.

"He needs to realize he has no say in the matter," Leia told him.

"Yes, well, that will never happen," Padmé told her. "And it has nothing to do with Han," she hastened to add before Leia could speak. "It wouldn't matter who you married, Leia, you could be marrying a king or a supreme chancellor or an honorable Jedi, to him, no man would ever be good enough for his daughter," she told her.

Leia let out an exasperated sigh.

"Your father loves you, Leia, he always has since he learned of your existence," Padmé told her gently. "Yes, he did horrible things, but had he known who you were to him, he would have laid down his life to protect you," she reasoned.

"I can't forget what he has done," Leia told her softly.

"You shouldn't, Leia, but you should forgive him," Padmé told her. "It pains me to see how apart you both are," she said softly. She took a seat on the couch and patted the seat next to her. She waited for Leia to sit next to her before she took her daughter's hand in hers. "When I was pregnant we would have debates on whether or not we were having a boy or girl. Your father was adamant that we were having a girl. His logic of reason to back up his claim was that if he felt a strong enough kick then we were having a girl," she told her.

Leia looked at her. "How is that logical?" she asked.

"It isn't," Padmé laughed. "He was being playful. But he wanted a girl, he wanted you, Leia. Did you know, he picked your name?" she informed her. "He would go on and on about how he envisioned you to be. I never saw any man so eager to have a little girl to dote on and spoil as much as he could," she reminisced.

"What happened then?" Leia asked.

"Palpatine exploited his fear of what he perceived to be my death," she said softly. "He foresaw what he believed to be my death in his dreams and it drove him to madness which Palpatine used to his advantage," she explained. She had no desire to explain it to Leia in the same manner that she had explained it to Luke.

"This all happened before Luke and I were born then," Leia guessed.

Padmé nodded. "You were born on the eve of what would be the darkest days of the galaxy in recent history," she told her softly.

"It is impossible for me to picture the man you are painting," Leia admitted.

"I plan to fix that very soon, Leia," Padmé told her assuringly.

"How? He refuses to speak to any of us," Leia asked.

"I have my ways," Padmé assured her. "Now, let's try to put everything away, shall we?" she said standing up. Leia stood as well and together they set about putting everything that Padmé had brought over in it's proper place. As Padmé was putting away some shoes, she noticed a box tucked away in the closet that seemed to stick out. She pulled the box open and opened it finding the most skimpiest get up she had ever seen. "Where did you get this?" she asked her daughter holding it up.

"I've been planning on getting rid of that," Leia admitted. "While executing a scheme to rescue Han from Jabba the Hutt's palace that Luke concocted, I was forced to wear that," she explained.

Padmé eyed the metal bikini appraisingly. "I can dispose of it for you," she offered.

"By all means go right ahead," Leia told her, oblivious as to what her mother had in mind for it.

Padmé replaced the get up in its box and picked the box up in her arms. "You should take the opportunity of having free days to try something romantic with your groom-to-be," she advised her daughter.

Leia looked at her. "I..."

"Just try it, you might be surprised by the result," Padmé told her. "And I have one more request," she said.

"What is it?" Leia asked.

"I would very much like it if you were married at the Lake Retreat. And there is another thing that you could do to appease your father," Padmé answered. Leia quirked an eyebrow. "You should ask him to give you away instead of your brother," she told her and then kissed her cheek. "You have no idea how much that would mean to him," she told her.

"I'll think about it," Leia told her and Padmé accepted that answer for now.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Padmé sipped the exotic flavored tea that Leia had sent over and watched in fascination as Luke calmly worked on Threepio. The normally fussy droid had started to complain about his malfunctioning motivator. From what Padmé had known about the droids components was that the motivator Anakin had used to build Threepio was taken from a discarded pile that Watto had ordered Anakin sort through and discard what he could not fix. Anakin had confessed to lying to Watto about the usefulness of a great many parts from various piles of the like when he found something he could use himself for one of his projects. It had been about forty-two years since Anakin built Threepio and even then, the motivator was junk. Padmé was surprised that it had lasted this long but recognized that it would have lasted much longer had Anakin had constant access to him.

"This motivator need to be replaced," Luke diagnosed. "It's too shot for me to fix," he said.

"Your father could fix it," Padmé told him.

"Well, he's not here and I'm not going to Tatooine any time soon," Luke reminded her.

"You're really going to let him think that you want nothing to do with him anymore?" Padmé asked.

"Nothing else has worked. I find that drastic measures work best with him," Luke told her.

Padmé sighed. "That is cold," she told him. "While you're in there, why don't you try to find the back up memory chip?" she suggested.

"I looked, I couldn't find a backup one in the memory databank," Luke told her.

"It wouldn't be there. Your father would never install a backup anything near the main component," Padmé told him. "It's precautionary in case of damage," she explained at her son's blank look.

"So where then?" Luke asked.

"Knowing your father, where you least expect it," Padmé told him.

Luke looked thoughtful for a moment before he opened another backing to the droid's parts and started to search around before he nodded. "I seem to have found it," he said.

"Activate it," Padmé told him and watched him fiddle around for a moment before the droid jerked some.

"Oh, Mistress Padmé! I heard such terrible things about Master Anakin," the droid cried in a manner that could only be interpreted as despair.

Padmé smiled. "It's quite alright, Threepio, Ani is doing well," she assured the droid.

"I tried to tell those people that they had no right to wipe my memory and that I belonged to Master Anakin, they said that I no longer belonged to Master Anakin," Threepio told her. "I don't understand, did I do something to offend him?" he asked.

"You didn't do anything wrong, Threepio," Padmé assured the distraught droid. "Anakin just..." she faltered in her explanation. "I sent you to protect Leia, it was too dangerous for you to stay with us," she said softly. "Anakin would have never sent you away otherwise, you always meant a great deal to him," she assured the droid.

Luke looked between his mother and his droid. "I'm going to have to shut you down for a few days, Threepio, until I replace your motivator," he patted the droid's golden shoulder as he said this.

"If you think that is wise, Master Luke," Threepio replied, resigned to his fate.

"Don't worry, Threepio, I'll have you working like new in no time," Luke assured the droid before he deactivated him.

"What was the last thing you said to your father before you decided to pretend he didn't exist?" Padmé asked.

"I called him an uncaring bastard who didn't think about how his actions would affect others, which was not long after I practically told him that he was a selfish Kath hound and that I give up and don't care anymore," Luke answered.

"Luke..." Padmé started.

Luke looked at her. "I know, it was harsh but he needed to hear it. What he does now is up to him," he told her.

"You just might have made him even more miserable than he ever was," Padmé told him.

Luke straightened up and stretched to his full height, stretching his arms over his head before he lounged on the couch. "Most of it was true," he told her.

Padmé took another calm sip of her tea. "One of the first things your father said after I told him that I was pregnant was that it was the happiest moment in his life," she told him in reminiscence. "He didn't want to talk about the complications that would arise, he was too happy, so happy that he didn't want it to be ruined by worrying about what was going to happen."

"Until his dreams started," Luke reminded her of what she had told him.

"Even in his belief that his dreams would come true, he maintained his joy at becoming a father. You and your sister were blessings to him even if his dreams would come true," Padmé told him.

Luke looked at his mechanical hand. "It is sometimes hard to even consider the notion of having a caring father," he admitted. "I used to listen to friends back home who had lost their fathers and they would come to me and ask me how they were supposed to deal with loosing their father. I've never been able to give them a helpful answer. I mean, how do you deal with loss like that? How can you miss something that you never had?" he told her softly.

Padmé's heart went out to her son. She had no words to offer him to comfort him where his father was concerned. Instead, she chose a new topic. "I found the strangest thing tucked between the cushions of your couch this morning," she began. Luke gave her a blank look as she continued. "It was a woman's stocking. If you are too busy to consider any romantic entanglements, why would a woman's stocking be tucked into your couch? If it belongs to you then I think we should talk," she added the last part teasingly.

Luke looked like a peko-peko caught in a tusk cat pack and he sat up. "It's Mara's," he confessed.

"Who is Mara?" Padmé asked.

Luke looked at her, deciding to be honest. "You might not like it," he began. "Father is actually very familiar with her. She was the Emperor's favorite Hand," he explained. "A while back the Emperor sent her to kill me, he had so much control over her that she would hear his commands in her head and to fail to meet them was painful to her. She missed several chances to kill me before the emperor was killed. Unfortunately, even his death didn't stop her from hearing his last command and she still tried on occasion before certain situations had us relying on each other for survival. Then there was the incident when we found that someone had an evil clone of me created that was programmed to kill me and take over my life. Mara killed the clone and saved my life. That was also the end of Palpation's influence on her. She became lost afterwards and came to the conclusion that I was the only person she could trust," he explained.

Padmé was slightly alarmed that her son was involved with a woman whose sole mission had been to kill him at one time. But she also trusted Luke's instincts, he had given her no reason not to. "How deeply involved are you with her?" she asked.

"I honestly have no clue," Luke told her. "Some days it is easy to tell where her mindset is and others..." he trailed off. "I haven't said anything about her to anyone because I don't know where things stand yet," he explained.

"Do you have strong feelings for her?" Padmé asked.

"Yes," Luke answered honestly. "But I don't know what they are yet," he quickly amended.

"I understand," Padmé told him calmly. She didn't elaborate. She knew perfectly what her son was feeling as she had been there herself thirty-two years prior.

Luke was about to say something else when the door to the main entrance opened with a hiss followed by an angry voice.

"Luke Skywalker, I am going to rip you apart and feed you to a sarlacc!"

Luke winced and looked at his mother's questioning look. "It's just an idle threat," he quickly said just as a woman around his age came into view.

Padmé eyed the new comer. She had dark red hair and flashing green eyes with a pale complexion so much unlike her son's tanned one. She also had a very shapely proportioned body that was well defined by the tight black leather body suit she wore, a blaster and lightsaber hanging off her hips from her belt. Padmé guessed that this was Mara.

Mara crossed her arms over her chest and tapped her foot impatiently. "Explain," she commanded.

"Mara, meet my mother," Luke calmly said as he gestured to his mother.

Mara quickly glanced at Padmé, clearly noticing her for the first time. But there was recognition in her eyes. For a moment she forgot what she had stormed in the apartment for.

Padmé stood from her seat. "It is nice to meet you, Mara," she offered warmly and looked over at Luke. "I think it is about the time I should leave, I'm supposed to meet your sister for lunch," she told him.

Luke was grateful for his mother's understanding and nodded in response.

Once Padmé was gone, Mara looked at Luke confused. "Your mother is Senator Amidala?" she asked skeptically.

"Yes," Luke answered.

"And your father is Darth Vader?" Mara asked again.

"Yes," Luke answered again.

Mara gave him a double take. "Am I missing something?" she asked gesturing with her fingers.

Luke chuckled. The more he learned about his mother, the more confused he grew over that sometimes himself. "Don't try pondering it, it only gets worse," he told her standing. "So what did I do?" he asked.

"Your friend, General Solo, approached me and threatened to let his Wookiee have a go at me if I was still trying to kill you and was using sex as a weapon to get closer to you," Mara told him agitatedly.

Luke groaned. "I had to tell him something to get him to stop trying to tell people that I had a secret girlfriend," he explained.

Mara scoffed. "That is a lousy excuse," she told him.

Luke stood. "What would you have me do? He was intent on backing me into a corner in front of both my parents and Leia. So I told him enough to get him to shut up about it," he told her.

"I would have rather you not say anything at all," Mara told him irritatedly.

"Why?" Luke asked.

"Because it's nobody's business, that's why," Mara snapped as he approached her. Against her will, her eyes followed his every movement, taking him in seeing the powerful set of his shoulders and the way he moved with such ease and grace, enough to disguise the powerful beast that she knew lurked within. She looked into his eyes, seeing the intent in them with her mind. She would be lying if she said that she wasn't in the mood or that she didn't want it. "What if your mother comes back?" she asked.

"She's helping Leia plan her wedding, they spend hours on that a day," Luke told her. "It'll be a while before she returns anyway."

"Your forget, Farmboy, I am very angry with you," Mara reminded him.

Luke only grinned. "Which only makes it more fun," he told her just before he was on her in an instant, crushing her to him, his mouth hungrily devouring hers before she pulled back and slapped him rather hard.

Luke didn't have time to respond to the slap before she pulled him back to her for a heated kiss and shortly after she was shoved hard up against a wall as her hands tore open his shirt which he quickly discarded. Hands reached behind her to unzip the back of her jumpsuit before it was yanked down off her shoulders, exposing the top half of her body while his mouth left her mouth for a slow descent. And as warm breath hovered over her right breast before his mouth covered her nipple, suckling it just as he knew she liked it, she tilted her head back and arched her back from the sheer pleasure of that small contact. The amazing abilities his mouth had were Sith-like in his aggression against her body. Feeling as though he had way too much control over the situation had her Force-shoving him away and hard to the floor. She quickly removed her boots and peeled her body suit from her before she was on him, pinning him beneath her. Her mouth hungrily sought his as she held his wrists above his head with one hand while the other made quick work with his pants as he kicked his boots off. Her mouth traveled down his jaw and down his neck taking her time at the pulse point in his neck, nipping at it slightly which earned her an aggressive growl in response before he shifted, turning, flipping about so that he was the one on top, discarding his pants as he did so.

Mara bit back wanton cries and arched her back as she felt his thickness fill her hard, deep, and fast in untamed aggression. She wrapped her legs tightly around his waist and dug her nails into his back making him growl against her throat where his mouth was attached to her pulse point, nipping and suckling at it. For the moment, she allowed him the momentary power over her body, lavishing in it. Few would ever guess that the soft-spoken and serene Jedi named Luke Skywalker was capable of such aggression as he displayed whenever they were together in this manner. She felt like one of the lucky few who knew that he possessed a fiery beast within his soul, as primitive and untamed as the world he hails from. It was possibly credited to the fact that she knew what the right buttons were to push and how to push them.

The need for control pushed its way through her as she used all of her strength to push him away, off of her and back onto his back and quickly straddled his hips, taking him inside her again as she did so. She held a hand tightly around his throat, keeping him flat on his back as she rode him, her other hand pressed firmly over his chest, curling into it, her nails clawing against his hard muscled chest. Her back arched as she looked up to the ceiling as his hands roamed over her thighs and hips, up her back and settled on the firm cheeks of her backside.

No words were ever spoken. They weren't required. This was about power and pleasure, nothing more. They started out as sworn enemies, they first met by the blades of their lightsabers, both determined to take the duel to the death before they were forced to finish it at another date. Their next encounter forced them to stop fighting each other if they were going to survive and many others of the likes followed until an understanding washed over them. Then came the evil clone called Luuke and it's master, the insane dark Jedi clone called Joruus C'baoth. After the destruction of both the clone and it's master their mutual aggression for each other turned into respect and trust and the aggression took a different turn. Thus became the turn of each and every one of their encounters. Fiery, untamed, aggressive, burning need of the flesh. Their bodies hungered for something that only they could give each other. They didn't discuss the meaning behind this, they didn't question it. They just did. All that they we conscious of was the intense feelings that were provoked by the slightest contact or the slightest movement.

The power shifted again as Luke grabbed both her wrists and lunged upwards and forcing her on her back and under him again in one fluid movement. He held her wrists over her head with one hand. Suckling on one breast and his other hand kneaded the other as he pumped into her, faster and harder, penetrating deeper each time. Mara withered beneath him from the sheer pleasure of his aggressive worshiping of her body, which had her screaming in ecstasy. The heights he brought her to were unmatched by any of the other men she had been with before him. The sheer power of the orgasms that he invoked in her made her feel as though the planet was shaking violently and that everything was crumbling around them. Her own orgasm only brought on his and she felt him stiffen before he came hard, collapsing on top of her out of exhaustion before he rolled onto his back, breathing hard.

"You are still going to pay very dearly for your friend's insult," Mara panted. "One mind blowing orgasm won't get you out of it."

Luke chuckled, pushing himself up on an elbow before he leered at her. "How many orgasms will it take then?" he asked seriously.

Mara secretly acknowledged that he owned her whenever he looked at her like that, but she never admitted to it. Instead, she shoved him onto his back again, firmly covering his body with hers, her mouth an inch away from his. "It doesn't matter how many, you are still going to pay, Jedi," she told him.

"We'll see," Luke told her confidently, rolling her onto her back beneath him before claiming her as his again and again and again.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Padmé entered the restaurant she was meeting Leia at and smiled when she caught sight of her daughter seated in a middle table. She quietly made her way over and took a seat. "How is Han?" she asked.

"He should be due back from Kashyyyk with Chewbacca tomorrow," Leia informed her.

"In time for the celebrations," Padmé deducted. "I look forward to meeting Chewbacca," she said.

"He feels the same way," Leia told her waving off an offer to sample some wine while Padmé accepted.

Padmé smiled as she thought about the simple joy at being able to be with her children, though both were grown adults now. Her smile faded as she thought of all the years she had lost with them, yet that was in the past now. "How long have you and Han been together?" she asked.

"I've known Han for over ten years now. We've been together for seven this coming Selona," Leia answered.

"That is a good courtship length. It's something that your father and I didn't have. We didn't see each other for ten years and when we did about three weeks later the Clone Wars had started and we eloped," Padmé told her. She didn't mention the fact that her and Anakin had been separated for twenty-nine years and they didn't talk at the moment but she took comfort in the fact that he hasn't asked for a divorce.

"You really do love him, don't you?" Leia asked, unsure how her mother could do so and overlook what he had done.

"With everything that I am and I know that he feels the same," Padmé answered.

"Even with what he has done?" Leia asked skeptically.

"Yes," Padmé told her, "I knew about your father's darker side before I married him. I knew what he was capable of. But no matter what he's done, I know that his capacity to love hasn't been dampened."

Leia didn't understand how her mother could have so much faith, trust and love for her father after everything. "How do you do that, believe in him, trust him, love him?" she asked.

"I just do, I know him better than anyone, I know that I can," Padmé told her and reached across the table to take her hand. "Open your heart to him, Leia, you might be surprised at what you'll find," she urged.

At this point a waiter came over to take their orders. Pletik soup and Kopi tea to drink for Leia and Likryt stew and Bluefruit Kintle to drink for Padmé.

"Han wants to elope," Leia said, changing the subject. "But as soon as people heard that we were getting married..."

"You got people expecting an invitation and to be there," Padmé summarized.

"Yes," Leia said. "I also know that someone of my station is supposed to have a formal wedding," she finished.

"You could only invite close friends and family, you know that," Padmé told her. "The Lake Retreat can house about thirty people," she informed her.

"It must have been lonely being there with only the servants to keep you company," Leia said.

"I had my handmaidens and on occasion my family," Padmé told her. "But without you, your brother and your father, yes, I was very much alone," she finished. She saw the look on Leia's face and hastened to add, "The past is the past,we should look forward to the future."

At this point the waiter returned with their food and drinks before making a quiet retreat.

"I can't seem to find a suitable date for this wedding to take place, my schedule is so hectic," Leia told her.

"I imagine it is," Padmé agreed, having no doubt about how busy her daughter was. She calmly took a sip of her tea. "Have you talked about the details with Han?" she asked.

"Han doesn't really have much of an interest in the details, he says that whatever I want is fine with him," Leia answered her.

"There is more than the wedding to discuss with him, Leia. Have you discussed when you would be ready to have children?" Padmé asked.

Leia kept herself from spitting out her tea and forced a calm expression on her face. "I don't want children," she informed her.

"Why not?" Padmé asked, disappointed with the news.

Leia was silent for a moment as she thought of a way to answer her honestly. "Because I keep thinking about genetics and how my father became the second most evil man in the galaxy, I know that certain traits and diseases skip generations and then there is the Force and what Luke told me about how easy it can be for someone with the Force to be corrupted," she explained.

Padmé looked at her daughter sadly. "Leia, just because your father was seduced to the dark side doesn't mean that anyone else in this family will," she told her.

"I can't take that chance," Leia told her. Before Padmé could say anything else to the subject she quickly changed the subject. "Have you heard back from him yet?" she asked.

Padmé knew that Leia was purposely changing the subject. She sensed that Leia wasn't ready to accept the idea of being a mother yet and hoped that she would change her mind eventually. Instead of forcing the subject further she accepted the change in the subject. Shaking her head, she answered, "No, he hasn't answered any of my messages."

"I don't expect him to, the way he left you..." Leia began.

"He needs help dealing with what happened, Leia, I intend to help him whether he welcomes it or not," Padmé told her. "When I leave Coruscant at the end of the week, I'm going to him."

"Good luck," Leia told her.

Yes, Padmé needed luck, even if Anakin repeatedly told her that there was no such thing. She prayed for good luck.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Leia thought over her conversation with her mother through the rest of her day. Even as she tried to focus on work that she brought home, her mind focused on her mother's words. It was very clear by the way that she spoke that she was deeply in love with her father, which only confused her for the most part. Padmé had told her repeatedly that she didn't know her father all that well and if she did she would love him as well. But Leia didn't see what her mother saw. To Leia, she saw a dark menace, evil encased in black, stuff of nightmares. She dreamed of it almost every night, despite seeing the broken man that he was now. How could she forget the past when it relived itself in her mind? How could she see the real Anakin Skywalker?

Leia had decided to take an early steamy shower to ease her aching muscles. Even then, she thought of her mother's unwavering love. It was so similar to how she felt about Han, she overlooked so much with Han, his past and his dealings with the Hutts. She overlooked it because she saw the real Han Solo. Could she eventually do the same with her father? It was this question that was in her mind as she let the water run over the muscles in her back. She hadn't lathered up yet and she reached for the soap and the sponge and lathered the sponge up. She rubbed the lathered sponge along her arms and over her shoulders, not noticing when the shower door opened and closed until a hand covered hers. She turned around to see Han standing with her in the steam of the shower created by the hot water. Wordlessly he took the sponge from her hand and ran it along her skin. Leia accepted it and leaned into him, eternally grateful that he was home. The sponge fell to the floor of the shower forgotten as her arms reached up to circle around his neck as he leaned down for a kiss and in no time Leia found herself pressed up against the wall of the shower, Han's body covering hers. The kiss intensified and Han lifted her upwards and Leia wrapped her legs around his waist, welcoming the intrusion more than anything.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

An hour later Leia curled herself against Han in the bed that they shared and traced circles over his chest with her fingers. She knew without a doubt that she would welcome moments like this until the end of her days. The quiet solitude of the bedroom that they shared was a world away from the galaxy that they were used to, to the galaxy that they were trying to fix. A world away from the twisted family story that they were a part of. Leia never knew anything as peaceful as this. In all the ways that a woman could love a man, Han had been her first. As infuriating as he was at times, she loved him with all of her soul. She loved him with her mind, body, heart, and soul and the wedding would only make it official to the rest of the galaxy. It would put an end to the numerous suitors trying to win her hand as Prince Isolder the Hapes Consortium had tried to a while back. Leia chose not to think about that particular episode and instead focused on Han. "How is Chewie?" she asked.

"As much as he loves his family, he still thinks that I would get myself into trouble and remains insistent that he be by my side," Han told her. "He's back in his own place right now eagerly awaiting his meeting with your mother," he informed her.

The sound of his voice rumbled through his chest and Leia could feel it beneath her hand. She looked up at him. "The celebrations start tomorrow," she said. "Mon wants my mother to stand on the podium with us."

Han yawned. "I suppose it all will start bright and early then," he said.

"Mon wants us there early, yes," Leia told him.

"Then we should get some sleep," Han decided.

Leia laid her head against his bare shoulder and felt his arms wrap tightly around her. "I'm happy that you're home," she told him and heard him mutter 'me, too' before she fell asleep.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Leia stood next to Han and Padmé with Luke on Padmé's other side and Chewbacca on Han's other side and Lando next to Chewbacca while they stood behind Mon Mothma as she gave her speech to open the celebrations for Independence Week. Leia looked over to her mother to see the radiant smile on her face and to see the tears of joy in her eyes from being a part of something so important. Democracy meant a great deal to her mother and Leia wondered how much it affected her to know that her father was a part of its destruction. She then caught Luke's wink and smile that he threw at her and she smiled back. She turned her attention back to the holocam that was fixed on them and felt her mother take her hand.

"...And with a heart full of joy for our being able to celebrate this joyous occasion, let the celebrations begin!" Supreme Chancellor Mon Mothma announced.

Overhead in the sky that had yet to lighten up, fireworks began to sound, which only ended at the sign of light. In the streets of Coruscant, the celebration began to get underway and a parade was about to begin.

Leia held up the ancient unlit torch up in front of her. "On the behalf of the Republic, I hold this torch to symbolize the ancient traditions of the Old Republic and the light of the new dawn of democracy for the seventh year of its return to the galaxy," she announced and much to the surprise of everyone, she handed the torch to Padmé. "As the champion for democracy, I give the torch over to Former Senator Padmé Amidala to carry out the lighting of the torch," she finished.

Padmé's eyes shined with the joy and pride she felt at being able to carry out this tradition. Wordlessly, she walked over to the awaiting pit containing small flames. "It brings great joy to my heart to finally be a part of something this incredible. I was there to witness the announcement of Palpatine's new order and to finally be able to see his mark has finally been left in the past and erased from the present, brings back the hope and good that the people have been deprived of for far too long. May the Force be merciful on us all for this joyous occasion," she said and lit the torch and set it down in its stand.

At this point Luke stepped forward, behind him stood the surviving Jedi as well as the waiting Padawans. He held his lightsaber before him and ignited it, the green blade glowing next the flames of the torch. "May the Force be with us all for the rest of our days for it is our greatest ally," he said and raised the blade before lowering it to cut the ribbon to signal the start of the parade.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

At a very young age, Anakin learned the bitter lessons of doing business with people. Though most of what he knew of how to live was either by being a Jedi or a Sith, being a business man was quite new to him. So, when an old friend named Kitster Banai walked into the shop some four months back, Anakin instantly made him a business partner. Luckily, Kitster knew quite a lot about business. It was business that brought Anakin to the Mid Rim, unfortunately he choose the wrong week to make any sort of deals. The streets were overcrowded and on public viewscreens the beginning of the celebrations on Coruscant were being broadcast and Anakin caught the sight of his family and watched as each one signaled the start of the celebrations.

"Independence week, it's not celebrated back home," Kitster muttered from beside him.

"That's because Tatooine is more or less owned by the Hutts," Anakin replied, his eyes on his family.

Kitster followed his line of vision and sighed. "Have they tried to contact you?" he asked.

"My wife has but I'm not ready to answer her. My children ignore my existence. Luke didn't used to but now..." Anakin answered him and turned away from the viewscreen. "We're not going to accomplish anything here, we should leave," he said changing the subject. He began making his way through the crowds back to where his ship was.

Kitster followed him. "Perhaps you should go to them," he suggested.

"No."

Kitster shook his head. "Shmi would tell you the same thing," he pointed out. If there was one thing he knew about the man his childhood friend became, it was that in order to talk reason into him sometimes was to appeal to him through his mother's influence.

"You don't know how difficult that would be," Anakin told him, still being stubborn about it. Kitster was the only person he knew that still lived who knew his mother well and could speak for her.

"Yeah, yeah, life is so difficult," Kitster muttered earning him a sharp look from Anakin. "Look, at least your family is alive, mine's dead and I would give anything to get them back. You're wasting time with them," he told him.

Anakin looked away. "You didn't do to yours what I did to mine," he told him.

"Yeah, well, without Shmi, you had a horrible example," Kitster said brushing it off.

"Lets get off this topic," Anakin nearly growled.

"Fine," Kitster said, "Oh look what's being thrown out!" he gestured to a trash pile with many junk parts.

Anakin reached out with his senses as Kitster looked around. "Take it," he said, knowing that no one would notice.

Kitster eagerly grabbed the scraps and shoved them inside a cloth bag. "See this trip isn't a waste of time like you said," he said looking over at his friend.

"These crowds are starting to grate on my nerves," Anakin grumbled as people bumped and pushed past him.

"They're celebrating, let them," Kitster told him as he slung his bag over his shoulder. "Ya know, I feel like a drink, how about you?" he said cheekily.

"Which means I'll be buying since you don't have the credits," Anakin grumbled.

Kitster slung an arm around Anakin's shoulder's. "Which makes you such a good friend," he told him cheerfully and laughed at his annoyed look, happy that for once he wasn't choking anyone.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Padmé put the finishing touches on Luke's apartment and stepped back to admire her work. From what she knew of her son, she knew that he would like to be reminded of home. So she searched around for things that she knew would be found on Tatooine. On a side table she placed Shmi's grave marker as a centerpiece in the living room. The apartment, while belonging on a world like Coruscant, had a feel of Tatooine to it, which was what she was trying to achieve. "Perfect," she breathed. It was at that moment that Luke walked in and stopped short. Padmé turned to him. "Well? Do you like it?" she asked hopefully.

"It reminds me of home," Luke said as he examined the apartment that had been painted a nice earthen shade and decorated much in the way that the homestead used to look. "Were you ever on the farm?" he asked as he looked at the pattern on the ceiling.

"I was there with your father thirty-two years ago when he met his step-family and his mother died," Padmé answered.

"So, once, then," Luke deducted. "You did this all from memory?" he asked. Padmé nodded. Luke was impressed. "That's amazing," he said and dropped the bag he had been carrying by the door. "But why did you do this?" he asked.

"Because I'm your mother and I wanted to do something for you, besides, now you can call this a home," Padmé told him, coming up to him.

Luke smiled. "I've never really had much experience with this. Aunt Beru was great and all, but she never...she taught me how to do things and then expected me to do them afterwards myself," he told her.

Padmé heard the appreciation in her son's words and cupped his cheek. "You're welcome," she told him.

"Are you really leaving today for Tatooine?" Luke asked.

"I am," Padmé told him.

"Good luck then," Luke told her. "Are you ready?" he asked.

"As ready as I'll ever be," Padmé told him.

Luke noted the bags that she had packed and ready to go, a great deal less than she had came with. With a wave of his hand he guided the bags with the Force. "I'll see you off then," he said. "Again, Leia can't make it, she's tied up at the Senate," he told her.

"I completely understand that," Padmé told him. "We said goodbye this morning," she told him as they left the apartment for the landing pad that held Padmé's ship.

Luke looked at her but didn't say anything as they flew across the city to the waiting landing pad. Once there he helped his mother out of the speeder.

"You have the same manners that your father has," Padmé commented as they stood on the landing pad.

"I haven't noticed," Luke said dryly.

Padmé shook her head and kissed his cheek before embracing him. "I love you," she told him as they broke away. She didn't bother to await an answer or for similar spoken sentiment. Neither Luke nor Leia were quite accustomed to her yet, and she had enough patience to wait for them to utter those words. Luke helped load her bags into her ship and murmured a goodbye and good luck to her before he exited the ship. As she took a seat in the pilot's chair in the cockpit, Padmé noted Luke's pose as he watched her, the same mirror pose as his father and she smiled before she began to take off. She kept an eye on her son as she took off until he was no longer in sight. She knew that his eyes were following her ship even without the Force. She silently sent a prayer that her plan would work out as she expected it to.


	2. The Reconciliation

_**A/N: **This is the second three-part installment to the Seek series that I am writing, I recommend that you read Seek Truth first before reading this if you haven't. each installment consists of only three chapters. Explanations will be explained in the story as it progresses. This is a story of how the Skywalker family learns to mend after the end off ROTJ.  
_

* * *

_**Chapter two: The Reconciliation**_

It had been forty-two years since Padmé had last been to Tatooine but she remembered it well. This was where her perception of the galaxy changed. This was where she had changed. This was where she had met the love of her life. It was fitting in her mind that the one place that Anakin would run to to sort himself out would be where he was last with his mother, in a place that reminded him of her. She had expected this answer from Luke when she asked him where his father was. She felt that she knew Anakin's inner workings well and she accepted Luke's assessment that Anakin was broken, it was the only explanation to his actions of late.

According to Luke, his father was living in a hovel that he claimed he had lived in before and had given her a map to locate it. Luke also told her that his father had bought a junk shop. Padmé had an idea of which one it was. If Anakin was trying to reclaim his life starting with one that reminded him of his mother, he would have taken over Watto's junk shop. Padmé vaguely remembered her way to the hovel and glanced down at the map Luke had given her. The suns were just rising and Padmé kept her blaster ready and was ready to use the self defense moves she learned both as Queen and under Anakin's tutelage. She knew that Mos Espa was dangerous at this time. Upon arriving at the hovel in question, Padmé recited the security codes Luke had given her and pressed them into the security system, mildly surprised that the door opened and she entered. The hovel was dark and quiet. She set down her bags by the door and maneuvered around the spare parts that littered the place. She spotted a toolbox and quickly checked the bedrooms find with satisfaction that Anakin was still sleeping. She grabbed the tool box and made quick and efficient work in setting her plan in motion.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Anakin woke from a rather restive slumber and went to rub his face with his hand and frowned. His hand didn't move, in fact his arm didn't even lift. He tried again but failed so he tried to move his other arm finding the same problem. Next he tried moving his leg and found that they too didn't work. "What the..." he grumbled, not knowing what was wrong until he saw movement out of the corner of his eye. He turned his head to see Padmé enter the room a tray full of food in her hands.

"Good, you're awake," Padmé said happily as she set the try down.

"How did you get in?" Anakin demanded.

"Luke gave me the codes, I arrived while you were still sleeping," Padmé told him as she poured a cup of blue milk. "He also gave me some rather helpful tips."

Anakin tried to move again as she approached him with a bowl full of cut pieces of pallie. She picked a piece up with her fingers. "Are you hungry?" she asked with a smile.

As best as he could, Anakin leaned away from her. "What did you do to me?" he demanded.

"I disabled the synth-net neural interface in each of your arms and legs, Luke showed me how to do it," Padmé told him as if it were no big deal.

"You did what?" Anakin demanded hotly.

"I wanted to make sure that you wouldn't try to escape talking to me," Padmé told him, setting the bowl down. "Don't bother trying to summon your toolbox to fix this with the force, I hid it from you and I know that unless you know where it is then you can't summon it," she added.

Anakin seethed at this show of ruthlessness in his wife. Never once did he ever think she would use it against him. But then he never thought she would let him think she was dead. "Fix it now!" he snapped.

"No," Padmé told him defiantly as she took a seat across the room and crossed her arms and legs. "We are having this conversation," she told him stubbornly.

Anakin growled in frustration. "I don't have to do or say anything," he told her.

"I really don't care how long this takes, we can sit here for days if that is what it'll take but until you speak to me and we resolve things we will remain like this," Padmé told him.

"I have things to do, this is nonsense!" Anakin snapped furiously.

Padmé calmly reached for a piece of pallie. "More important than me?" she asked suckling on the sweet, juicy piece of fruit.

"What do you want from me?" Anakin demanded.

"You know what I want!" Padmé snapped.

Anakin tightened his jaw, furious with the situation he was in and with the fact that there was no way out of it. He didn't speak.

"You could have avoided this if you would have just answered me, you know," Padmé pointed out and opened a small basket filled with mushrooms. "Luke had the hands working on his farm give me a bushels of these, they taste delicious," she said as she ate one of the mushrooms.

"That farm was destroyed," Anakin pointed out.

"Luke had it fixed up and hired hands to work on it. He couldn't bring himself to sell it or leave it to rot from decay and neglect," Padmé pointed out. "I would have thought that you would have had more respect for its land considering that is where your mother is buried," she reminded him.

Anakin glowered. "Did you come here to torture me?" he demanded.

"I'm not the expert on torture in this room, Anakin," Padmé told him mildly.

"Could have fooled me!" Anakin shot at her. His eyed glared at her as she reached for another mushroom, her body leaning in a seductive way, the shirt she was wearing low cut enough to where he could get an eyeful of her breast, which to him seemed to be larger than he remembered.

"You know what you have to do if you want to move," Padmé almost sing songed.

"I do not negotiate with people who torture me," Anakin snapped. If he could cross his arms he would have done so at this point. Instead he clamped his jaw tightly shut and did his best to turn away from her.

Not put off in the least, Padmé rose from her seat and walked over to him. Even in close proximity he didn't look at her. "Anakin, look at me," she commanded. He ignored her. "Fine," she said and decided to force him to look at her. She would get his attention and keep it if it killed her. It was this thinking that had her climbing onto the bed and straddling his hips, grabbing his face with both hands and forcing him to look at her. "I am not going to let you get out of this," she told him stubbornly.

If it were possible, steam would be rising from him. "I can expect a number of people whose agenda would be to torture me but I never expected my wife to do it," he seethed.

"You call me your wife, Anakin, but you don't treat me as your wife," Padmé told him pointedly.

"You haven't been my wife for nearly thirty years," Anakin snapped.

"I can say the same for you," Padmé pointed out. She didn't wait for him to make a reply before she continued. "I didn't abandon you, Anakin. You might believe that to justify yourself. But you're the one who abandoned me, yet, I'm the one who is trying to reconcile," she told him.

"This is not trying to reconcile!" Anakin shot at her. "This is revenge!"

Padmé gave him an exasperated look. "What did you expect? For six months I have been trying to talk to you, but you chose to ignore me. You know me better than to think that I would lay down without a fight," she told him. As he glowered some more she continued, "You may be as stubborn as a kath hound but I know that you want to reconcile, if you didn't you would ask for a divorce," she leaned downwards, counting on the fact that he had never been able to resist her. "Admit it, Anakin, you still love me as much as I still love you. You still want me," she said, her face an inch away from his, her hands firmly planted against his chest. Even if he tried to deny it, she would know that he was lying. She could feel the effect she was having on him. From the hitch in his breathing, to the quickening of his heart, to the erection she felt pressing into her stomach, to the look of pure lust in his eyes.

No matter how furious he was, Anakin couldn't stop himself from being extremely turned on by her aggressiveness and ruthlessness. It was a side of her that on some level he knew was there but she had never shown it. Until now. Even if he wanted her to fix what she had done, his body was betraying him. When she leaned down to close the inch separating them and kissed him, he couldn't stop himself from responding as passionately as she was. But when her hands moved to start to unbutton his shirt he yanked away as much as he could in a flash, trying to ignore the wounded look in her eyes. "No," he said.

Before another word was spoken a third voice was heard from within the small hovel.

"Hey Anakin! What is keeping you? That shipment just arrived and you said you'd sort through it." Before Padmé could move Kitster had walked into the room. "Whoa! Sorry to disturb you, I'll... ah... just wait for you in the shop," he said, making a hasty exit.

Anakin shot his wife a glare before turning his head to the door. "Wait! Get my tool box and help me! She disabled my ability to move!" he shouted after him.

Kitster poked his head through the door. "That's actually pretty kinky," he pointed out.

Anakin glowered. "She hid my tool box, go find it!" he snapped.

"In this crap pile?" Kitster asked skeptically.

"Just go!" Anakin snapped. He turned back to his wife. "I have work to do so you can get off of me now," he told her.

Padmé sat up and crossed her arms. "I am not leaving until things are resolved between us," she told him stubbornly.

"Found it!" Kitster's voice sounded from another room. He returned and gave Padmé a sly smile. "Ruthless, a fitting match," he appraised. He made quick work at fixing Anakin's little problem, all the while shaking his head. "Hey Anakin, if you don't..."

"If you even think about finishing that sentence I will kill you," Anakin threatened.

"Okay, okay," Kitster grumbled as he fixed his arms and them watched as his friend pushed himself up and moved his wife off of him and fixed the rest himself.

Padmé huffed. "This is not over," she told him.

"Yes it is," Anakin told her stubbornly as he got up and pulled on a pair of boots.

Kitster shook his head at the squabbling couple. "I'll be at the shop," he informed Anakin who didn't respond, choosing to instead stalk into the refresher, alone.

"Idiot," Kitster muttered under his breath as he walked out of the room.

Padmé followed him. "Is there a time when you will not be at the shop?" she asked.

Kitster looked at her, deciding that he really liked her. "I could leave Anakin alone around noon if you have something in mind," he told her.

"That would work out perfectly," Padmé told him.

Kitster laughed. "I think you are good for him, he's miserable without you, ya know," he said as he left the hovel.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Mara was angry, she was more than angry, she was incensed. Her mood was as red as her hair. She wanted to ring General Solo's neck for impounding her ship. But it wasn't exactly Solo's fault. While Solo had reason to dislike her, he now was bent on making her life hell since he found out that she was sleeping with his soon-to-be brother. No the source of her trouble was a certain blond, blue eyed, five foot-nine inch tall Jedi from Tatooine. She had searched for him for over an hour before finding him swimming laps in the pool in his apartment building's basement. To top it off, he had the gall not to notice her. She looked around the deck and found a pointed oblong ball that seemed to have been made from the leathered skin of some unlucky animal and she picked it up and threw it at the back of Luke's head, hitting her mark expertly. Luke ducked a little too late, stopped what he was doing to look at her. Unfortunately, Mara had found more things to throw at him. Balls, diving sticks and rings, anything that she could find, she threw at him.

"Hey! What is wrong with you?" Luke cried, ducking and trying to deflect the objects being thrown at him.

"Solo impounded my ship! He said to ask you!" Mara seethed, throwing another ball at him.

"I don't know anything about that!" Luke protested.

"You're to blame! You told him about you know what and now he is purposely making me miserable!" Mara snapped, throwing a shoe at him this time.

"What do you want me to do about it?" Luke demanded. "I can't force him to stop!" he snapped, ducking again. Her aim was skilled and guided with the Force. He would need an opening wide enough to get her to stop before she ran through everything in the pool deck. Deciding on a game plan, he ducked under the water and swam to the edge and when she leaned close enough to hit him again as he surfaced, he grabbed her arm and pulled her into the water with him.

Mara shoved against him roughly, throwing her damp hair out of her face. "It is all your fault! If I don't make this shipment..." she seethed.

"Tell Karrde that you quit then and join the Order with me," Luke urged for the umpteenth time.

"You keep trying to gain my consent on the subject and I keep giving you them same answer," Mara stated pointedly.

"You would be a valuable asset to the order," Luke persisted.

Mara crossed her arms. It was always the same reasoning he gave her. It was never what she wanted to hear from him but she never said it to him. What she wanted was unattainable and went against everything she was raised and trained to believe and live by. "You are fooling yourself if you think I want to be a Jedi's asset," she told him pointedly.

"You were meant to be a Jedi, Mara, just as I was," Luke told her.

"I don't believe in a preset destiny," Mara told him.

"Everyone is born with a purpose," Luke told her. "The Force has a plan for everyone."

"You can spew your little beliefs on someone else. I want my ship or there will be hell to pay," Mara told him as she waded to the pools exit.

Luke watched her leave, slightly disappointed that she had yet again refused his offer. But it was more than that, he knew that so long as she kept refusing, the more unsure he was on where things stood between them, no matter what kind of feelings he was having.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The shipment that Kitster had ordered weeks ago laid in an untouched pile in the same spot it had been deposited to upon its delivery. There would be time to sort through it, Anakin reasoned. No, Anakin was more primarily engaged in the project he had undertaken six months prior. It was almost completed and was due for testing and adjustments once he had all the parts in their proper place. This project was one that he hadn't undertaken since he was a nine-year-old boy and there were moments that he struggled to remember. He was determined to finish it in record time. The deadline was fast approaching.

Wit Luke's angry words still stuck in his head, Anakin purposely carried on with his task. The fact that he had yet to hear one word from his son in six months straight worried him some. Luke was more or less determined to keep track of where he was and insistent in the whole remaining in contact thing. Even when he didn't answer, Anakin knew that his son was making an effort to put the past aside. Now it seemed that Luke was just too angry to even utter one word or send anything. But apparently, because of how he had been woke up, Luke had decided to send his mother to invade his space instead and was clearly the mastermind to his morning torture.

Nonetheless, Anakin was determined to finish what he had started and hoped that it was enough. He remembered well the expression and excitement on his son's face as they watched the Boonta Eve Classic together and how Luke had longed to race in it. He told his son that he would acquire a pod for him to race and then decided to custom build one in the hopes that Luke would return to Tatooine to race it in the annual race. He tried to imagine the image of his son racing and winning the race as he himself had done so many years ago. He knew all too well just how skilled a pilot his son was and had no doubts that Luke would win the race.

Kitster popped his head in the doorway to the workroom Anakin was in just then. "Hey, I'm going to grab some gruel, want anything?" he asked.

"No," Anakin answered as he fitted the last piece of the pod's control panel in place .

"That's good 'cause I'm going to spend sometime scoring some indecent activities," Kitster replied before he left.

Anakin had no doubt what activities Kitster had in mind. In the years since his wife and children had been killed, Kitster handled his grief in a number of ways. One of them was to engage himself in a way that would suggest otherwise, such as the amount of time he spent in the harem of Tatooine's current crime lord, which was of course granted for a fee. It was something that Anakin would never have done even if he were in Kitster's position, a position he had believed he was in for two decades.

Anakin straightened up and rolled his head around, wiped his hands on a rag and rubbed the back of his neck, fighting off the cramps. Finding himself in need of a drink, he moved to enter the main part of the shop where the liqueur was kept only to stop short. The sight before him too tempting to simply ignore.

Perched seductively on the circular counter and scantly clad in a gold metal bikini and tiny delicate heals on her feet was his wife. He couldn't ever remember seeing her in anything this revealing. She had always been too classy for anything such as this. The fact that she was showing so much skin in a public place and had somehow acquired such an outfit spoke volumes. She was pulling out the big guns as she knew that such a move would be impossible for him to resist. No matter, he mustered up enough will to at least make an attempt to resist, too stubborn to concede so easily.

Moving over to where the liqueur was stashed, he pulled out a rather cheep and foul tasting bottle of whiskey that could have been stolen prior to its sale here on Tatooine. Anakin chose to ignore the sheer lawlessness that Tatooine reeked of. It was still home in his mind and no matter the different roles he had played in his life, the lawlessness that existed here would always call and appeal to him. It was the only raw and real core reality that he believed was the most stable in the galaxy. Governments come and go but there would aways be crime and sheer defiance to the letter of the law. It was a point that the Jedi failed to understand, their ignorance to the harsher realities being the cushion that they clung to in order to remain faithful to their Code and the crumbling Republic and ultimately being their downfall. Sure, Anakin's blade may have been the one that did the most slaughter, but the Jedi's descent from their high perches began long before his birth. Their fate had been sealed some time around the origin of the prophecy of the Chosen One.

Taking a rather large swig from the bottle of whiskey, Anakin did his best not to make a face at the taste. From the corner of his eye, he glanced over at his wife. The fact that she was on this lawlessness, backwater, dustball of a planet seemed almost wrong. While this was a world for which someone like him truly belonged, she had come from a different world, a different reality with different views, convictions, and beliefs. In many ways, they contrasted and in others they had complemented each other. Many times, he had shed the part of him that never left Tatooine, the part that kept him anchored to this place, for her. To be with her. He had denied and defied the part of him that was pure Tatooine if for no other reason but to have her. But she had yet to do the same for him. She hadn't yet made that same kind of sacrifice for him and at this point in his life, he through with making sacrifices. He simply refused to deny who and what he truly was and that was a man who was born and breed of everything Tatooine represented. No, he would not cave until she did.

"Are you going to share?"

Anakin nearly laughed. "You wouldn't like it," he told her, capping the bottle.

"Try me," Padmé simply challenged from her perch, almost leaning back on her elbows and crossing her bare legs seductively.

Anakin eyed her carefully, taking special note of the many visible curves along her body, the flat toned surface of her abdomen and the pleasing view of her toned calves and thighs that were accentuated by what she chose to wear. Mercy, she was still breathtaking even after all these years. The fact that she was wearing something that screamed sex symbol on his homeworld called out to him more than anything he had ever seen her wear before. Even if his body yearned for her at this very moment, years of practicing mind over matter kept him from acting out his desires. If she truly wanted to reconcile then she would have to say the one thing he had wanted to hear for six months, the one thing she had yet to say. Wordlessly he walked over to her to hand over the bottle but was stopped momentarily when she stretched her right leg out to halt him in mid step, the small strapy golden heal pressing softly in the middle of his chest. He knew what she had in mind and decided to play one card that he had that would turn the tables. He handed the bottle over and silently watched her take a drink, managing to keep herself from gaging at the taste but was unsuccessful at keeping a disgusted look from her face. "I told you that you wouldn't like it," he said. "You won't find anything as refined as you're used to here." his hands slowly caressed her ankle and moved upwards, followed by his mouth. Let her think he was conceding.

"I think that is a given," Padmé pointed out, enjoying what he was doing. "I am well aware of Tatooine's disregard to civilized taste and ways," she pointed out.

"I like it," Anakin pointed out, now close enough to pull her to the edge of the counter, leaning in close until he was just an inch away. He met Padmé's expectant stare and caught the slight flare of triumph in her eyes as she thought she had won. He leaned in closer as if he were going to kiss her before he spoke. "Admit that you were wrong," he told her.

Padmé's eyes flashed defiantly. "You first," she countered.

The corners of Anakin's mouth curved upwards. "The only things I am guilty of are the things that come naturally to me," he told her. "I must also point out that I acted under false pretenses," he reminded her. "Had you been considerate enough to be honest in the first place then we wouldn't be where we are now. For all your talk of being honest with each other when you wanted me to talk, you couldn't live up to it yourself," he pushed away from her then and walked off to grab the inventory list that Kitster had left behind and before he could leave the main shop to start work at sorting through the the recent shipment she made her retort.

"So I kept one thing to myself! I gave you my reasons!" Padmé snapped.

"I have yet to hear an apology," Anakin pointed out.

Padmé scoffed. "One omission of the truth is minimal compared to what you have done," She argued.

"All you have to say is three words and that is it," Anakin told her as he checked over the list in his hands.

"But you get to be exempted from admitting that yourself?" Padmé demanded. "I will not apologize for something so trivial," she ranted. "One small omission is is not as unforgivable as..."

Anakin turned back to her. "I have given everything up for you!" he snapped. "I have always done everything that you asked of me and I never asked for anything in return, but the one time that I do you cannot bring yourself to give it!" he almost yelled.

"I never asked you to give anything up, Anakin," Padmé told him pointedly.

"Maybe not voluntary but I'm the one who made the most sacrifices for us to be together. I let my mother die for the chance of being alone with you. I had to fight off everything that was second nature to me because for someone like me to actually be accepted in your kind of circle is ludicrous. Our people don't mix or haven't you noticed? And lets not forget the lengths that I went to when I thought you were going to die in childbirth. All the while I shared my fears with you and you didn't have enough consideration to tell me the truth," he pointed out.

Padmé crossed her arms defiantly. "Yes, you're perfect, you did everything," she drawled scathingly.

Anakin stalked closer to her, stopping short of standing right in front of her. "You claim to want to reconcile and that you love me just as much I love you and all you have to say is three words and it's in the past, what is so hard with that?" he demanded. "But of course it must wound your pride to have to say those three words because Padmé Amidala is never wrong," he mocked when he received no answer.

Padmé glared at him hotly. "Oh yes, you are right, I should have told you the truth at the very beginning, is that what you wanted to hear?" she snapped.

"Yes! That is exactly it!" Anakin snapped, finally satisfied.

"That's it? For the way you treated me on Naboo and ignoring me for six months that is it..." she was cut off in mid rant by the inability to form words in her mouth when it was under assault by his hungry mouth. Padmé forgot what she was ranting about as she gave into his assault, fisting her hands in the rough fabric of his dark tunic and leaned into the feel of his hands one her bare skin, pulling her hard against him.. Through the corner of her eyes she noted the time on the chrono and knew that they didn't have as much time as she had originally planned it to be. She pulled away slightly. "We have only ten minutes before Kitster said he was going to return," she quickly informed him.

"So you're plotting against my back now?"

"Only when you refuse to listen," Padmé quickly told him, pulling him back to her, her hands quickly flying down to the fly in his pants before her hands were shooed away. It only took one small minor adjustment before she felt the full length of him push hard and deep into her center. Their heated kiss breaking momentarily with a deep satisfied groan. "Oh I've missed this," she groaned, tightly wrapping her legs around his waist as her arms tightly wound around his neck.

"Shut up," Anakin groaned, claiming her mouth one again, knowing that there wasn't time at the moment for talking, He pressed her back, pinning her between the counter and his still-powerful body. She was as hungry for his touch as he was for hers, and despite his better judgment to keep her out, she'd begun to unbutton his shirt, and he knew what she wanted, and he was powerless to resist. He could feel her hands on his skin, and she moved her mouth down to his neck. He sucked his breath in, savoring the sensation, trying not to think of her horror when she discovered how scarred his body had become.

She didn't though. She knew that he had been horribly burned on Mustafar, and she accepted that it meant his body had scars now, scars that her fingers ran down, exploring the qualities of the, what his reactions to were to her touch, where he had lost sensation, where her touch was more effective. She looked up to his face briefly wondering just how deep the scars ran and from his closed eyes she knew that he was expected revulsion but she had none. Wordlessly she traced the lines of each scar with her fingers first and then followed with her mouth in delicate kisses, wordlessly telling him that loved him no matter how ravaged his body was. She loved and accepted him no matter what form he was in. it wasn't his body that she fell in love with, it was his heart. She didn't know if it was the force that told her or her own heightened instincts, but she sensed that he needed verbal assurances. She looked up into his eyes. "I still love you, Ani," she told him. Apparently that was the exact thing that he needed to hear because his mouth claimed hers in untamed hunger as they attempted to make up for nearly thirty years in under ten minutes.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

If there was one thing that pleased Padmé since her arrival on Tatooine after the fact that she and Anakin were now reconciled and the little quickie in the shop, was the triumph of bringing order to the chaos she had walked in on upon her arrival in the small little hovel. The place was finally organized and there were, blessed be, places to sit and relax. Padmé had set about bringing order to the chaos for most of the day much to Anakin's annoyance and deep protests. Presently Padmé sat at the table that was set for two, sipping a warm cup of H'Kak bean tea, mildly surprised that Anakin even had some stashed somewhere, remembering his dislike of teas in general. The delicious aroma coming from the kitchen managed to reveal just how starved she was. She eagerly awaiting for the food to be done and smiled once she spotted Anakin walking out from the kitchen holding a steaming bowl of womp rat stew and a tray of Tatooine flatbread before setting them on the table and taking a seat across from her. "Oh how I've missed your cooking," she said as she dished herself out some of the stew.

"Still can't cook then?" Anakin asked mildly.

"Much to my mother's shame," Padmé told him, her smile never wavering.

"It is amazing how you can command an army, lead a planet and argue your point efficiently against a crowd of bickering senators, but you can't even do something as simple as brew tea," Anakin mocked.

"Which is why I married a man who is very skilled in a kitchen," Padmé replied. "You should cook for the twins," she suggested.

"Luke was here for a few weeks just before we came to Naboo, I found that he greatly lacks culinary skills," Anakin informed her.

"Then you should teach him," Padmé told him.

"I tried, he doesn't know how to take proper direction which is baffling considering his training in the ways of the Jedi," Anakin told her. "Yet, all I ever heard during meal time was his comparisons between my cooking and Beru Lars' cooking never once stopping to think that the same person who taught her to cook taught me first," he added in annoyance. Before Padmé could make a reply he ranted on. "All I ever hear him talk about at some points is Aunt Beru this, Uncle Owen that and each time he makes a reference to them I just want to slap him," he grumbled.

"They raised him, Ani, he misses them. Just in the same way that you miss your mother," Padme told him rationally. "Although I do think that your feelings are justified considering the things that Luke told me about his childhood, well on Owen's part," she put in.

"Really?" Anakin asked mildly.

Padmé calmly ate a spoonful of the stew from her bowl before continuing. "Did you know that Owen told Luke that you were a navigator on a spice freighter and had died aboard it," she informed him.

Anakin's eyes narrowed. "He said what?" he said incensed, highly insulted with the drug trafficking cover story.

"It doesn't stop there," Padmé told him gravely. "Owen seemed to have been hell bent on tarnishing your image in Luke's eyes. It was actually Beru who would comfort Luke and try to tell him the things that Shmi used to say about you," she told him. "Don't even bring this subject up with Luke," she hastened to say. "I already told him your side to the animosity between you and Owen. The subject had been dropped after that."

"Did Owen know that...?"

"I think so," Padmé answered. "Luke told me that he had ambitions to go to the navel academy that all of his friends had run off to and that Owen would constantly go back on his promises to let him go, hell bent on keeping Luke away from the Empire."

"Then he joined the Rebel Alliance..." Anakin put in.

Padmé beamed proudly. "Yes, a real hero to the galaxy," she said.

"Yes, well..."

"I couldn't have been more proud when I heard his name on the Imperial most wanted list for destroying that monstrosity called the Death Star," Padmé told him.

"I was happy about that before I even knew that it was my son who destroyed it," Anakin admitted. "I hated that thing from day one. Destroying a planet is senseless, a waste of manpower and funds, and only shifted the power balance away from it's intended goal. I was barely trying to defend it against the rebel attack."

"You should try to explain that to Leia," Padmé suggested. "She has it in her mind that you supported the destruction of Alderaan."

"Leia hates me too much to even make an attempt to listen," Anakin pointed out.

"All the more reason for you to go and make an attempt to speak civilly to her and keep trying until it works," Padmé pointed out.

"If my children wish to speak with me then they will have to seek me out," Anakin told her stubbornly.

Padmé suppressed a deep sigh. "That may work in Ani-world," she ignored his glare, "But in reality you need to leave your safe and secure little hole and help your children," she told him.

"They are grown adults, they do not need my help, they have done well enough without it," Anakin told her stubbornly.

His stubbornness made him blind to so much at certain times, Padmé summarized. "That isn't true," she countered. "Luke and Leia need you now," she told him strictly. Before he could make a retort she continued. "Luke may seem more stable on the outside and may make light of the situation, but he needs your love and approval, he has yearned for it since he was little. Leia has more deep seeded fears that I can't help her through but you can. For example, she is terrified of having children for the sheer fear that she thinks they would turn into Sith," she started to explain.

If there was anything that could undo him it would be hearing that his daughter was living in fear and Anakin suspected that his wife already knew this. "I am not comfortable with the idea of returning to Coruscant," he told her.

"You've holed yourself up in your hidy hole here enough, Anakin, you need to start to venture out into the galaxy again," Padmé told him pointedly.

Anakin glared at her reference. "It is different here than it is on Coruscant. Here no one bothers, ridicules, stares, or invades your privacy. Here people see me and leave me be because I am not the worst looking thing to walk the streets. If I return to Coruscant and the media hounds get wind... the galaxy already perceives me as a monster, when they see me that view will be reinforced," he pointed out.

Clarity washed over Padmé. "Is that what is wrong with you, you hate the way you look?" she asked.

Anakin didn't answer her. Instead, he chose a new topic. "Luke hasn't sent me any messages," he told her.

"Yes, he told me. He's trying to prove a point," Padmé informed him.

"And what point would that be?" Anakin asked.

"You are just going to have ask him," Padmé told him.

"The last time that he tried to make a point like this, he jumped off of a platform into a bottomless abyss after making sure that I was watching," Anakin pointed out.

"Apparently inheriting your melodrama," Padmé muttered as she ate a piece of the flatbread.

"I am not melodramatic," Anakin snapped pointedly.

"Of course you're not," Padmé said placidly. "Why don't you make the first move for once and talk to your son..." she checked the wall crono, "He should be getting ready to start the day right about now," she calculated.

"You are about twelve hours off in your calculations," Anakin corrected her. "Try guess what he should be doing twelve hours after your estimate."

"Oh, well, I think this would be a bad time then," Padmé corrected herself.

"Why is that?" Anakin asked curiously.

"It just seems that about this time every day this women he's involved with storms in angry about something, mostly to do with Han, and I have to leave so that they could work it out. I could swear that it almost like clockwork," Padmé told him.

Anakin looked at her, giving her his full interest. "So you saw her then? The one he claims he isn't involved with for anything but working together," he asked.

"I met her after I confronted Luke about the woman's stocking I found tucked into the cushions of his couch. They way it was tucked in suggested that it was quickly hidden," Padmé told him. "Luke confessed to having strong feeling for her but not knowing what they were, and he seemed so confused by the whole situation," she added.

Anakin scoffed. "Confused my ass. He knows exactly what he's doing, don't buy into that poodoo for one second," he told her.

Padmé crossed her arms and frowned. "And where is your expertise on this subject coming from?" she asked.

"Simple, he's nearly thirty by now, if she is his first then that is very, very sad. For another thing, he is keeping this a secret which suggests that it is just sex without emotional attachments. You would need to know what you are doing to successfully pull that off," Anakin reasoned. At Padmé's raised brow, he explained. "Tatooine blood, lawlessness, disregard for rules, general sinfulness, it is all a part of who he is even if he publicly denies it."

"Well I saw something there," Padmé insisted.

"I'm sure that you did," Anakin replied placidly. "Did you get a name?" he asked.

"Yes, Mara, but that is it. Luke also told me that you would know her..." Padmé stopped speaking and frowned deeply when he spit out the sip he had just taken from the cup in his hand and it ended up in her face.

"That boy has some death wish!" Anakin snapped before he muttered a few choice words in Huttese. "You win, I'm going to Coruscant to smack him!"

Padmé sighed deeply and prayed that her son would forgive her.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The view of the endless skyline of Galactic City was one reserved for either the wealthy or those piloting the incoming and outgoing starships. It was a sight that Han Solo felt that he would never quite get used to. He sometimes felt uncomfortable in his own home. He had come from nothing, a Corellian street urchin, used, abused and beaten for his entire childhood. His first attempt at making something honorable with his life had ended abruptly when his conscious forced him to disobey strict orders in regards to the mistreatment of Wookiee slaves, which had ultimately had him dishonorably discharged from the Imperial Navy. From there he had lead of dishonorable life of pirating and smuggling for crime lords such as Jabba the Hutt. He certainly never thought about the turn his life would take when he agreed to shuttle an old Jedi named Ben Kenobi, a naive Tatooine farm boy named Luke Skywalker, and two droids from Tatooine to Alderaan. Of course, he had recognized the names Kenobi and Skywalker but honored the old man's request for no questions asked. Han never expected to meet the most infuriating and fascinating woman he had ever met, who would ultimately claim his scarred and beaten heart. He never thought that he would get caught up in the rumored Rebellion against the Empire and that he would be instrumental in the dismantling of the Empire and the formation of the New Republic. He never expected for his name to become a household name and he dearly prayed that the bastard that sired, abused and abandoned him was out there knowing that he never succeeded in breaking his pride or whatever spirit his mother had left him. The only hell Han faced now was the fact that he was about to gain Darth Vader as a father-in-law but took comfort in the fact that Leia wanted as much distance between herself and her father as he did. That didn't mean that Han would enjoy having Vader as a father-in-law but hoped nothing bad would befall him. Being frozen in carbonate and sent to Jabba as new decoration was brutal enough, just what else could Vader do to him?

It was this thought that had Han turn away from the skyline which color was changing from a brilliant blue to a slow amber. He looked over to the bed where Leia sat with her knees tucked tightly against her chest, a look of fear etched n her face. No, there wasn't ever a moment where Han Solo had been more afraid. Wordlessly he moved away the large curving window displaying the cityscape before him and sat down next to Leia and pulled her into his arms. "We can work around this," he assured her. "We could still elope and no one would be the wiser..." he suggested.

"The invitations had already been sent," Leia reminded him. "And my mother is expecting me to wear her gown... if I would still be able to fit into it."

"We don't have to tell anyone until it is absolutely necessary," Han assured her.

"It's not my reputation that I'm worried about," Leia confessed.

"Then what?" Han asked.

"I...I can't tell you," Leia's voice faltered as she struggled to think things through. "Just hold me," she pleaded.

Wordlessly, Han did as she requested. He silently prayed that a certain someone didn't find out until after the wedding that the family was expanding.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

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Padmé considered it lucky for her son that no sooner had Anakin hotly declared that he was going to put a stop to Luke's dangerous liaison that a fierce sandstorm started up. The storm itself was extremely intense, the winds howled like an industrial train while their powerful wisps blew the sand around and against the buildings so hard the it sounded like millions of tiny thunderclaps every two seconds. Padmé didn't expect the storm to be over too soon and as she watched her husband furiously try to send a message to Luke, she knew that he sensed it as well. She realized that she shouldn't have mentioned Mara, it was too soon, but she had been caught up in the surreal normalcy, she couldn't help herself. She decided on making an attempt to calm him down enough to think rationally and so she moved to stand behind him as he sat in the chair by the communication console and began to massage his shoulders as she had done many times before, remembering how it used to relax him enough that he was putty in her hands. The soft groan she heard indicated that it was working. She leaned in over his shoulder and spoke into his hear. "Relax, Ani, you can't go rushing into this like you want to right now," she told him.

"How can I relax when that shag schutta is close enough to kill our son?" Anakin retorted.

"You need to trust Luke's instincts," Padmé told him softly.

"He's not thinking with the right brain or using the right instincts," Anakin grumbled.

"If she were still trying to kill Luke then he would be dead already. My impression is that this has been going on for quite a while," Padmé reasoned.

"Ah, and there is the torturous death. Get him emotionally attached and then set him up for a slow painful death all the while letting him know that she put him there," Anakin countered.

"No one likes a tyrannical father," Padmé pointed out to him, her hands moving up the massage his neck, remembering the fact that Luke mentioned the problems there.

"I am not a tyrant," Anakin growled.

"That is how Luke and Leia will see you as if you don't step back now and stop trying to have some control over their lives. You said so yourself, they are grown adults. Let them be," Padmé reasoned. She kissed his cheek. "You should try to loosen up some, it may help wonders if you want to build a relationship with your children, I know that you want that more than anything, Ani," she told him.

"That is impossible, they hate me," Anakin told her.

"They don't hate you, Ani," Padmé told him. "Luke knows about everything that you have ever done, and I mean everything, but it doesn't affect how he sees you. He loves you even knowing the things that you have done," she began.

"He nearly killed me over Endor, I pushed him to it. I tormented him emotionally and nearly pushed him over the edge. I did that willingly because it was what Palpatine wanted. Because it was either turn him into a monster or kill him, there was no in between. And Leia. I tortured her twice. I forced her to watch as Alderaan was destroyed. I did horrible things to them. They have every right to hate me. And there isn't a day where I don't torment myself over it, where I don't hate myself for what I've done," he confessed. "And I really don't want to return to Coruscant because I know that the media hounds will do anything to capture me unmasked, to plaster what I am now all over the holonet and I know that the the galaxy will see my face and the word monster will be the first thing that will filter through their minds and I know that they will be right because I am a monster. Not for what I have done to the Jedi, to the galaxy, no, for what I have done to my own children willingly."

"I don't see a monster when I look at you, Ani," Padmé insisted. "I look at you and I see the man I love. I see it in your eyes, I see it in your heart. But if you can't even see yourself in your reflection anymore there are things that can be done about it," she told him.

"What can possibly be done?" Anakin asked morosely.

"It's costly and only certain worlds do it but there are procedures called skin graphs. It's painful, Ani and it takes some time to heal but it can give you back some of your humanity," Padmé told him. "But I'm not telling you to seek it out. I'm just telling you that there are options, I don't want you to do anything that you don't want to do, Ani. Just know that I love you just as you are," she told him.

Anakin thought about it, staring at the blank comm screen. His mind kept telling him that his son was in danger and it wasn't because of him, it was because of Palpatine, and his daughter needed him. His children needed him and that was enough incentive that he needed. "What worlds do it?" he asked.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Mara stalked through the many corridors of the Republican military house where all military up and ups held their offices and war rooms. It had been erected to adjoin the Jedi Temple that was under reconstruction. The military house was built in the shape of a pentagram with multiple training grounds and landing pads large enough to fit in large capital ships. In a different site across town was the facility that housed the clone troops more commonly known now as Storm Troopers. The clones were strictly forbidden from entering the grounds of the military house and most importantly the Jedi Temple. There were several guards and specifically programmed droids that used a force field to block blaster fire surrounding the grounds of both the military house and the Jedi Temple to keep both the clones and anyone else that wasn't authorized from stepping foot on the grounds. There were even several armored ships and speeders manned with guns hovering about to prevent air attacks or trespassing. The events of the past stung in the Republic's minds and personnel. Mara couldn't help but to be impressed. Even the Empire wasn't as methodical as this. She knew that Vader was but she also knew that the Emperor had valued very little of Vader's opinions when they clashed with his own. Secretly Mara was impressed with the things Vader would discuss the things the Emperor dismissed and berated him for calling him weak. Those were things that she saw in Luke and there were things about Luke that she knew he struggled with and worked hard to hide from others.

But it wasn't Luke or Vader that had Mara stalking the corridors of the military house. No, she was blowing off steam and was stalking the current bane of her existence. General Solo had gone too far and she was out to tell him so. She was grateful that Luke held her in high regard and trusted her very highly where many thought he was insane for doing so, for she was given clearance to enter the grounds. Of course, her weapons had been confiscated by the guards but she wasn't worried about it. She reached out with her senses to locate Solo and made quick work of arriving there, finding him in his office reviewing something. "I want my ship," she demanded icily.

"Illegal contraband was discovered aboard it, it was in my jurisdiction to confiscate it and impound the ship," Solo told her without looking at her.

"Cut the phobium!"Mara snapped angrily. "This has nothing to do with contraband!" she stalked further into the office. "You don't like me being close to Luke and so you figured out a plan to push me away from him but all you are succeeding at is pissing me off and the last man to do that is dead," she hissed.

Solo looked at her then. "Is that a death threat?" he asked.

"It is a fact," Mara told him, defiance in her pose.

Solo smirked, which annoyed her, "You know, Luke has this need to save people, people that don't want to be saved, and sometimes people who don't need to be saved. It gets in his way sometimes, blinds him to reality. He saved his father and now he has it in his head that he can save you. He's a fool, trusting you. You're as slippery as a greased Dug, and twice as mean. I see you for what you are, and I don't give a Psadan's patoot if something happens to you. But if you think for one minute that I'm actually going to give you any respect or peace just because you're kriffing him, you're not firing on all thrusters, sister."

"Your arrogance is astounding. You know nothing about me or what is between myself and Luke Skywalker," Mara seethed.

"I know enough. Imperial Hand, killer, and the Emperor's concubine. You lost everything you held dear and you want revenge at the one responsible. The perfect revenge is sweeter than death and you think you are on your way," Han replied.

"You Scutta-spawn! You know nothing of nothing of what you are talking about! I'm relieved that life is over and I know very well that it was Vader who killed the emperor! Nothing holds my respect more," Mara snapped hotly.

"What is going on here?"

Both Mara and Han turned to see Luke and the doorway. Mara gave Han a scathing look before she brushed past Luke, stalking out.

Luke looked at Han suppressing a sigh. "Give her a break, Han," he said.

"She is out to get you, you know that," Han told him briskly.

"No she isn't. There are things that you don't know," Luke told him calmly.

"Like?" Han asked.

"That is Mara's business and I will not discuss it," Luke told him. "But that isn't why I came here," he said taking a seat.

"Then what?" Han asked taking his own seat and propping his feet on the desk and leaning back in his chair.

"My sister for one and the fact that she is pregnant," Luke told him.

Han looked like he had been caught in a mynock nest. "I... well it isn't like we weren't already planning on getting married," he said.

Luke waved a hand in dismissal. "I'm not the one you should worry about," he told him. "I'm here to offer some advice on how to not get killed," he told him.

Han chuckled. "Yeah well that wouldn't undo things," he said.

Luke shook his head. "Look, just try not to make him mad, don't give him a reason to suspect anything and most importantly, try to impress him. Give him a reason to like you and you would get away with what he would view as a grave transgression," he advised.

"I think I know how to survive," Han told him.

"You should listen to me, you know," Luke told him.

"I still think you're insane," Han told him.

"No more than you," Luke quipped.

"Hey, what do you say to going out and celebrating later?" Han asked.

"Sure, why not?" Luke replied. "Just, don't do anything stupid," he said.

"Hey it's me," Han reminded him.

"That is what I'm worried about," Luke muttered as he stood. "I have some more work to do on the Temple, I'll see you later," he said.

"Don't hurt yourself, Kid," Han called after him.

Luke turned to him at the door. "I know what I'm doing," he said before he left.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Padmé's assertion that it would be costly to repair the damage done to Anakin's skin seemed to be correct. Padmé had researched the worlds that preformed skin graphs. Unfortunately, most of them were Coreworlds and Anakin simply refused to resort to going to The core and the debate over which system to go to ended on the asteroid stationed medical facility of Polis Massa. Padmé hadn't been there since the twins were born and was surprised that it was the place that Luke had taken Anakin to in order to save his life. But if either of them knew of its significance Anakin didn't seem to show any kind of sentiment. Padmé had refused to leave her husbands side through everything. While she had always been independently wealthy, the cost of this surgery had put a grim look on her face and was unable to hide it from Anakin who just handed her a credit disc and gave her an access code before he signed the necessary forms. Just before the anesthesia had taken effect, Padmé bent down and brushed her lips against his. "I'll be right here with you when it is done, Ani," she promised before his eyes closed and he was taken into surgery.

As she lost sight of her husband, Padmé went to the nearest fund machine to make the payment withdrawal. She slipped the disc into the machine and entered the code before her eyes widened at the balance. It was an extremely large fortune, ten times larger than hers, and judging by account logs, it was used very little over the years which really wasn't all that surprising considering the fact that Anakin was never one to spend much money unless it was absolutely necessary. Once she withdrew the money to pay for the surgery, she walked over to the desk with the bill and paid before she waited for it to be over.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Luke ate lunch in the remodeled cafeteria in the Jedi Temple with Keyan Farlander, Corran Horn, and Tionne Solusar. Tionne had spent a considerable amount of time with the Jedi Archives, trying to regain the knowledge that had been lost but grew frustrated with each dead end she came across. Keyan and Corran had spent the better part of the day patrolling the streets while Luke seemed to have had the most taxing morning trying to work with the impossible Jedi Master Mace Windu who had served in the Order and the High Council with Master Yoda before the Purge and had only showed up on Coruscant in the last two years. Since Windu's arrival Luke was forced to use as much diplomacy as he possessed while he struggled to remain in control of the reconstruction project. The fact that Master Yoda left him in charge of rebuilding the order and that he had a high enough rank within the new republic that he was answerable only to two people, Chancellor Mon Mothma herself or Admiral Ackbar depending on which duties he were undergoing at the moment, meant very little to Mace Windu. What mattered to Windu was that prior to the fall of the Republic ad the Jedi Order, he had been second in command next to Master Yoda and felt that with Master Yoda's death then he should be first in command. But there was more, Luke could sense it. Mace Windu seemed to distrust Luke and Luke wasn't all together certain on why that was but he would have find some way around this obstacle. He had thought about asking his father what he knew about Mace Windu for some insight but Luke dismissed that thought. He refused to ask his father for help, his pride prevented him from doing so. He grew up and fought his own battles fine without his father's help, he didn't need to start asking for it now. No, Luke would figure a way around this on his own.

"You're sure in a quiet mood, Windu still harping on your ass?" Keyan asked.

"For the moment I'd like to not talk about Mace Windu,"Luke answered as he calmly began eating.

"That's all fine with me," Corran concurred, also not on the older Jedi's favorite list. "I do have an issue," he started. "I've been going over the budget that the Chancellor gave us fro the reconstruction and it seems that for us to restore this Temple back to it's former glory we don't exactly have enough sufficient funds. We're going to have to make some adjustments," he informed them.

Luke sighed. "I'll talk to Leia and see if there is anything that she could do," he said. He turned to Tionne, "What about the archives?" he asked.

"I am unable to recover the Jedi knowledge collected before the purge, it seems that the entire database has been erased from the system completely and without the books and holocrones, recovering that knowledge seems bleak," Tionne informed him.

"I was afraid of that," Luke sighed.

After taking a bite from the meat on his platter, Keyan spoke, "Well there is one person who can tell us where that knowledge is," he said looking at Luke meaningfully.

"I am not going to ask my father for help," Luke told him strictly. "Besides he wants nothing to do with restoring the Order, I've offered, he just ran off to the Outer Rim, I sincerely doubt that he would be willing to help. We don't really talk and we're not all that close," He added.

"It sounds like you're letting your pride get in the way of taking the best option you have left," Corran commented.

Tionne looked at both Keyan and Corran, "You don't honestly expect Vader to help us? He spent decades persecuting the remainder of the Jedi," she pointed out.

That was another fact that kept Luke from asking his father for help, never mind that that ended when he learned that his son was a Jedi. "Lets try to get what we can get done done on our own before we consider branching out for help," he suggested.

"Fine by me," came the mummers around the table.

Before the discussion on th temple could continue, Luke's comlink repeated a familiar staccato and after checking it, Luke found that his presence was requested by the chancellor. "Chancellor Mothma is buzzing me," he said standing up.

"Better not keep her waiting," Keyan said and went into discussion with Corran and Tionne as Luke left.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Padmé remained vigilant by her husband's side after surgery and while he was immersed in the bacta tank for the month following the surgery. Now, finally, he had finished healing sufficiently for the doctors to feel comfortable taking him out of the tank. For the first week the doctors had refused her access to see Anakin, insisting that she wouldn't like what she would see but had hastened to explain that it was a part of the healing process. Afterwards when she did see him the bacta tank he was in was opaqued and she could only see his face. Padmé had no idea just how healed Anakin would be or what he would look like from now on but she looked forward to it. To be able to see her husband unmarked would mean the world to her and to him as well she was sure. After removing him from the bacta tank the doctors had Anakin laid out on a biobed before reviving him. As she sat at his bedside, she waited for him to wake up. Her fingers ran along the now smooth skin of his chest, marveling at the medical miracle. Her eyes traveled to his face and she smiled at seeing the face she had dreamed about for so many years, there was even hair growing at the top of his head. Padmé bent down to brush her lips against his and as she was about to pull away she felt him respond so she lingered for a moment before finally pulling away, staring into his crystal blue gaze.

"Did it work?" he asked.

Padmé smiled. "Why don't you see for yourself," she replied and picked up a mirror and held it up for him. She watch as he reached for the mirror a look of disbelief on his face. "Just wait until Luke and Leia see you," she said.

"I don't see how this will make a difference," Anakin replied.

Padmé set the mirror aside and sat on the bed next to him before curling up beside him. "You don't know that," she told him. "The doctors want to keep you for another week and then you'll be clear to go. I have a few things to clear up home first but I'll join you at the apartment on Coruscant," she told him.

"So you're feeding me to the sharks alone," Anakin deducted.

"I think that this is something that you need to do on your own, Ani," Padmé told him.

Anakin knew that she was right, that and he was too tired to argue at the moment. As he closed his eyes again, Padmé brushed her lips over his.

"You need your rest, Ani," she told him and watched as he fell asleep. She rested her head against his bare shoulder, her fingers tracing along his skin, loving the smooth feel of it over the hard muscle. Padmé sighed, knowing that if she stayed, he would be tempted to push himself harder than he needed to be, and he would be pushing himself far harder than the Doctors would like as it was. This had been major surgery, and, while he had spent most of his recovery in a Bacta tank, he wouldn't like being tied down on Polis Massa for even the week that the Doctors thought he absolutely had to stay.

"I don't want to stay here for another week," Anakin said, fighting against sleep.

Padmé brushed her lips against his again and pulled away slightly, only a hair's breadth away "Hush, You're not going to argue over doctors orders," she told him.

The corners of Anakin's mouth twitched. "Even if they don't know what they're talking about," he replied through a yawn that he wasn't able to suppress.

"The doctors here are quite credible, Anakin," Padmé pointed out, halting that line of protests. "And if you continue to argue then I'll make sure that you can't move again," she threatened.

Anakin looked at her, knowing full well that she would make good on that threat. It reminded him all to swiftly that he would never win any arguments with her and to make an attempt to would be fool hardy. With a smile, he knew for certainty that for the first time in years he had his wife back and wrapped his arms around her more securely. "Very well, I'll follow orders," he conceded.

"Good," Padmé said pleased, nestling in the crook of his arm, "See that you do." she smiled contentedly as she felt the steady even breathing of his chest that indicated that he had fallen back to sleep. Sighing happily, she soon followed suit.


	3. The Heart of a Father

**Chapter three: The Heart of a Father**

Leaving Tatooine and coming to Coruscant for the second time in his life was just as difficult for Anakin as it were when he was just a boy taking his fists step into a larger galaxy towards his destiny. Back then he was just a scared little boy putting on a brave face and at the same time craving for his mother's arms and soothing voice, somewhat knowing that he might well never see her again. Now he was a man in his early fifties seeking redemption for his many sins finally deciding to step out of hiding and ready to face what awaited him. The Force had been merciful in sending his Angel back to him, for no matter what he did, how he acted or what he said, she remained steadfast in her unwavering love and support for him, taking his darker side in stride and accepting it as a part of him. After all, she knew what he was capable of doing before she married him, she was in no way blind to the lurking demon that resided in his soul and she still loved him with everything that she had. She accepted him as he was, she always had.

For the last two months, she remained vigilant at his side as she consoled him, loved him and helped him heal. She supported him and remained at his side through the month of painful skin graphs he had received If he was going to try to feel human and convince others that he was human, then he needed to look the part. After all, he had a lot of work cut out for him if he was going to start cleaning up his own mess. He was going to start with his children. For the longest time he had himself convinced that they didn't need him, that they were better off without him. Padmé shot that belief down. She had outlined to him just how much his children needed him. For Luke it was the unquenched need for his father that he hadn't been able to hide from his mother no matter how light he made it out to be. For Leia, she needed to understand the past and that no matter what he had done that it didn't make future generations predestined to automatically follow his dark path of destruction.

Always one hundred percent in control of whatever ship he was piloting, he glided the craft into the atmosphere of Galactic City. The wispy white clouds parted as he sleekly passed through them, he took note of the color and density while the ship was within them, and they indicated that a rainstorm was coming. It had been so very long since he had the simple pleasure of raindrops falling from the sky drenching his skin. He would make a point to escape outside the minute that the rain starts to fall. With his eyes firmly planted on the city scape before him, Anakin angled the craft slightly, towards an awaiting landing pad where a single custom-designed speeder awaited. He had contacted a loyal ally and asked for the arrangements to be made. He was not planning on alerting his children of his presence until he was ready to face them . Facing Coruscant was trial enough for the moment . He knew that Luke was strong enough to feel when he was near but Luke had yet to figure out that it is possible to mask one's force presence from others and so he used that as an advantage over his son, planning on teaching him the skill on a later date.

As he skillfully landed the craft on the landing pad, he finally was able to spot the familiar form of Wrenga Jixton or as he was most commonly known,Jix. The man was only about ten years younger but had proven time and again that he was competent above all others and loyal to those he allied himself with. It was now or never, he thought . Slowly Anakin rose from the pilot's seat and moved to exit the ship, catching Jix drastically off guard when the younger man caught sight of him. But his eyes didn't focus on Jix right away. Straight ahead of him loomed a perfect view of the Jedi Temple, the place he had once called home. For two decades it had been left to decay, now it stood tall, undergoing reconstruction. Was this Luke's doing? How deeply had his son invested himself into rebuilding the majesty that he had single handedly destroyed in one night? As he gazed at the Temple in the distance, he reached out with the Force and located his son deep within, deeply invested in the hard labor required to fix the damage. In his mind, he saw that the work was nearly completed and that with a renewal of the once-mighty Order came a different voice and look as well as a deeper understanding. Many other Jedi lurked inside the temple with his son, many who had somehow managed to escape the purge. They had flocked to his son as he had openly declared a new age and a renewal of the mighty Order, with the claim that it was the last wish of the Grand Master Yoda that he rebuild what once was. Luke's strength, goodness, sincerity and determination shined through his every word. He was the beacon that lit the dawn of the new age. Yet, when the ugly truths began to unfold, he did not hide from them, he did not deny them, he carried on, steadfast in his quest for renewal. His strength of character prevailed through. He had been prepared beforehand and acted accordingly.

Anakin turned away from the view of the Jedi Temple to look at Jix's astonished face. "Well?" he demanded.

"The seamstress is waiting as we speak," Jix said making a face at the rough desert garb Anakin was wearing.

"Then let us not keep her waiting," Anakin told him purposefully as he moved to the custom speeder, making a mental note to have it repainted as soon as possible. A nice bright yellow would be much more appealing than the dreary gray and black.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Leia stood behind her desk, gazing out into the busy traffic of Galactic City through the wall-sized window. The normal Senate proceedings had been delayed for a later date so Chancellor Mon Mothma could decide what to do with the imminent trials of the Banking Clan. Leia knew that this was only the beginning of a long and tedious cleaning. The Banking Clan was the least of the Republic's worries. There was still the Imperial Remnant that lurked in the Outer Rim. The rumors that they had gained a powerful leader were somewhat laced with truth. Leia was no fool. She knew well that all they needed was a strong leader and they would rage war and attempt to reclaim what they thought of as their own.

Before her the Imperial Palace loomed in the distance. It stood empty, a ghostly shell of the reign of an evil tyrant who had met his fate because of his own arrogance. The palace had always sent cold chills through Leia's body. It reeked of evil. Even the sight of the palace at this distance sent chills down her spine. She hugged herself momentarily as she shivered, in that thought. Protectively her hands pressed against her flat stomach. She had never felt more terrified in her life. Certain traits or diseases skipped generations within families. She was aware of that. Would she be responsible with bringing another Sith into the galaxy? As if burned, her hands flew away from her midsection at the thought. She hugged herself again. She sensed before she heard the intercom voice.

"My Lady, a man is insisting on speaking to you. He refuses to leave. He is claiming to be your father..."

Leia snapped to attention upon hearing this. Her untrained abilities picked up on a very familiar presence. It wasn't as dark or in despair as she was used to, rather more in line of phantom memory she couldn't place. "Send him in," she responded before she turned away from the view she had been gazing at in time for the door to her office to open and she froze, unprepared with what she saw.

The real face of Anakin Skywalker greeted her accompanied by short hair on his head, the same shade as Luke's. He carried himself with confidence and pride as he walked in. He was dressed differently. The style reminiscent of the old traditional garb she had seen Jedi wear in the confiscated holos that she had been able to retrieve as a young girl. But the clothes were much more richly tailored than what the Jedi had worn, with dark expensive fabric. The only thing that seemed missing was a lightsaber that was supposed to hang from his belt. "Are you busy?" he asked without preamble.

Leia was too shocked to form an immediate response. Her mind was going a mile a minute at what she was seeing and she didn't register his question immediately, but when she did, she struggled to find her voice. "Not at the moment," she managed to say.

"Good then there won't be any problems with you leaving the building," Anakin replied.

"For what?" Leia questioned.

"You're going to come with me and we're going to have a much needed talk," Anakin told her, his tone brooking no room for any argument.

"And if I refuse?" Leia asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I will toss you over my shoulder and carry you out of the building. Either way, we are having this conversation," Anakin told her.

"I could easily tell security that you are abducting me by force," Leia reminded him.

"No one will fault me for forcing my disobedient daughter to spend one lunch hour with me. You would only humiliate yourself by making a scene," Anakin pointed out.

He was right, they both knew it and he had succeeded in backing her into a corner. However, she did not like it one bit and grew defiant. She calmly took a seat behind her desk. "If you want to talk, then talk," she said.

"I detest this place," Anakin told her.

Leia merely smiled. "Any moment Mon Mothma will be done with her meeting with investigative team conducting the investigation into the actions of the Banking Clan and she will call for me, I simply cannot leave," she told him and picked up a datapad for review.

"And you seem to have overlooked the fact that I covered all my bases," Anakin told her striding over to her and proceeded in keeping his word that he would toss her over his shoulder to carry her out of the building.

"Put me down this very instant!" Leia snapped indignantly, pounding her fists against his back and kicking her feet against his chest.

"I gave you fair warning, Leia, you chose to ignore it, deal with it," Anakin told her stubbornly, keeping a firm hold on her as she fought against him relentlessly.

As they exited her office and proceeded down corridors the guards and fellow senators and staff that were in the corridors stopped and stared at the Vice Chair of the Republic being carried over Anakin's shoulder like a sack of durros. Ever conscious of the people around her, Leia crossed her arms as best as she could and glared. "I assume that you have a place in mind," she growled.

"In a matter of fact I do," Anakin replied, carrying her over to his waiting speeder that had been repainted a bright yellow.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Leia stood in the doorway of the old diner modeled in the old Med'soto style of the golden age of the Old Republic. There were a few patrons of middle class and lower class of Coruscant. She caught the sight of a few people dressed in similar, simpler style, that Anakin wore. "Out of all dining establishments you take me here?" she questioned, not entirely sure of the place.

"Best eats in the CoCo Town streets," Anakin muttered. "I feel comfortable here," he told her as a droid waitress rolled over as they moved to find a booth.

"What can I get you?" the droid asked.

Anakin glanced at the droid. "If Hermione still works here you can send her out," he told the droid.

"Sure thing," the droid replied rolling away.

"And don't roll over her toes or I'll remove your mobility!" Anakin called after the droid as he and Leia took their seats at a table.

"I take it that you've been here quite a few times," Leia remarked as she grabbed a menu.

"More or less," Anakin replied enigmatically. He didn't grab a menu. Leia took notice of that fact.

"You demanded for me?"

Leia turned her attention to the owner of the voice with a street accent to see a woman who seemed to be roughly the same age as her mother. She was very pretty by human standards with light blond hair, blue eyes, and a shapely figure that was shown off by her small blue dress that was low cut enough for a perfect view of her cleavage and short enough to show off her long legs. She carried herself with obvious street sass.

Anakin turned to her with a neutral expression. "Hello Hermione," he said not sure of the reception he would get.

The look on Hermione's face was one of shock before she quickly masked it, planting a hand firmly on her hip which she cocked out to the side and leaned her shoulders to the side slightly. "Well, look who's finally showing his face. You, Anakin Skywalker, have some explaining to do," she drawled.

"Later," Anakin told her brushing it off. He gestured toward Leia. "My daughter and I came here to discuss some things," he told her.

Hermione glanced at Leia recognizing her immediately. "So, the rumors are true then," she said and turned to Anakin. "I don't want to know the particulars of that, I'm just trying to imagine the look on Obi-Wan's face when he figured that out," she said noticing Anakin's frown upon hearing that name. "What do you want to drink and eat?" she asked.

"Ardees and some sliders," Anakin answered. "Do you still serve nerfsteak?" he asked. Hermione nodded. "I'll take that as well," he decided.

Hermione turned to Leia.

"Mineral water and I'm not too sure about much of anything on this menu so I'll have the same thing," Leia decided.

"I'll bring that right up," Hermione informed them as she walked away.

Leia turned to her father to see him watching her walk away. "I take it that you know her better than just as a regular waitress," she deducted, reading between the lines.

"She was a trusted friend," Anakin told her as he wondered if that would be the same.

Leia sensed that there was more but didn't press the issue. "What is it that you are so insistent that we talk about?" she asked getting to the point.

Anakin looked at her, not knowing where to start. There were so many things that he wanted to say to her, but they were too jumbled around in his head for him to coherently pick one to start from. His gaze became fixed on the promise ring displayed on her left ring finger. It was old and looked worn, like a family heirloom or something and he was brought back to focus on her engagement to the space pirate turned Navel officer. He didn't like it. It wasn't because he disliked Han Solo, he didn't trust Solo's background, but his daughter's upcoming marriage bothered him and it wasn't all because of who she was marrying.

Leia noticed his shift in attention and covered on hand with the other, hiding the ring from him. She heard her mother's words in her mind and she turned to look out the window. They remained in silence for what seemed like an eternity. But then he said something that came so far out of left field that she didn't know how to respond.

"You look eerily like my mother, a complete mirror image."

Leia looked at him, never once having expected to hear that.

"I struggle sometimes with trying to remember her face or her smile or the sound of her voice. My memories of her have faded so much that there are days when I realize that I have forgotten her completely. For all of her struggles and sacrifices she had made for me alone, I know that I had in one way or another disgraced them," Anakin started.

Leia listened to him, having only heard the barest mention of his mother from her mother. From the way her mother talked and the way he was talking, he was close to his mother. "How did she die?" she asked.

"I don't suppose you know what Tuskan Raiders are?" Anakin asked.

"I've heard Luke talk about them and his encounters with them," she felt his alarm and anger flare up at hearing that Luke had encounters with them, "But other than that not much," she finished.

"They kidnapped my mother from her home, starved and beat her to death over the course of a month," Anakin told her. "I only found out when I returned to Tatooine to see her when my step-father told me what happened, he didn't have the decency to contact me before hand. When I tracked them down and found her, she was barely hanging onto life and died in my arms. After she died, Not a single Tuskan in that camp survived," he finished.

Leia tried not to be shocked or affected by the cold way he admitted what he had done for she knew what not a one of them survived meant.

"You were close to her then?" Leia asked.

"She was all I had," Anakin told her. "She told me to leave Tatooine when I was freed by the jedi. The last thing she said to me then was to be brave and to not look back, I didn't understand it back then but I do now." He looked her in the eye, marveling at how they were so close to his mother's. "You can't look at the past and judge the present and the future on it. You can learn from it, yes, but don't expect the past to repeat itself. If you do, you could miss out on a lot," he told her.

Leia wondered if her mother had said something to him over what she had disclosed to her but before she could say anything, her father lept up and dragged her to the ground just before an explosion erupted at the window they were sitting at. Leia was too much in a state of shock to protest when he dragged her up and in through a back door barricading them inside what was a store room. She watched as he moved several boxes and opened a wall panel to retrieve what looked like a blaster case.

"You know this diner very well," was all that she could say.

"It was owned by an old friend," Anakin told her as he opened the case with a code and began to piece together a sniper blaster with such expertise that it only took two seconds. "Stay here," he ordered, barely glancing at her before he began climbing a ladder built into the wall.

If Leia hadn't seen him climb it, she wouldn't have noticed that it was there. She watched as he grabbed some handles in the ceiling, tugged and twisted, pushing it aside, revealing a manhole and climbed through. Leia looked inside the hidden storage compartment to find an array of illegal weapons. Illegal under both the Empire and the Republic. She grabbed a blaster, there was no way that she wasn't going to fight.

Anakin positioned himself on the roof of the diner, looking out through the scope on the blaster for the assassin. As he predicted, Leia emerged from the diner carrying a blaster and as soon as she showed herself so did the assassin. Without a seconds hesitation, he pulled the trigger, aiming at an area that would immobilize the assassin but not kill him. Anakin wanted to know who he worked for. Once he saw the assassin fall to the ground twenty paces from Leia, Anakin jumped from the roof and approached the assassin the blaster in his hands aimed at him. "Who hired you?" he demanded as Leia stayed where she was.

"It was just a job," the assassin said snidely, no hint of recognition in his eyes when he looked at him.

Anakin had heard those words before from a different assassin. "Who hired you?" he demanded again.

The assassin attempted to stand only to be kicked back down where he coughed, sure that one of his ribs had been broken. "The Vice Chair made a lot of enemies, fella, she'll die either way," he managed to get out.

Anakin held the barrel of the blaster at the assassins head. "You don't understand, _Fella_, you attacked my daughter, you're going to die if you give me a name or not. How you die depends on you," he told him menacingly.

"And you are?" The assassin challenged.

"The most feared man in the galaxy," Anakin told him.

The assassin's eyes widened as he realized that he was staring at Darth Vader. "His name is Eithan Caux, he sells illegal weapons and torture devices," he confessed.

"Thank you," Anakin said just before he pulled the trigger to the blaster. The assassin's eyes widened in fear just before the blaster fire hit him in the head and he died. He stored away the name Eithan Caux for a later date. He turned to where Leia stood to see an unreadible expression on her face. He held the blaster down and walked over to her. "You should have Coruscant's clean up crew come out to remove the body," he told her walking back into the diner.

Leia followed him. "What did he say?" she demanded, "or did you let him speak?" once they were inside the store room.

"He was after you. There are people who want you dead," Anakin told her and her eyes widened in surprise. "Don't worry, none of them will succeed," he assured her.

Leia knew what he meant but didn't say anything. She knew that Luke had been trying to break him of killing people for six years and hadn't had any success. She didn't say anything because he said it with the conviction of a father protecting his child which was so out of character with how she knew him that it rendered her speechless.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Anakin recited the address that Padmé gave him for Luke's apartment in his mind, finding it to be in a low priced building on a middle floor. A simple address for someone who wasn't so simple but believed himself to be. There was the stark contrast between himself and his son. Luke had, in part, remained a simple farm boy from Tatooine but in actuality, he was a powerful and respected Jedi, credited for so much and guilty of much of it. Anakin wished that he could be credited for his son becoming the man that he was but he wasn't. Luke had other influences throughout his childhood and journey towards the destiny for which he was born. Anakin regretted not being there for him throughout his life, and hoped that he would be able to, in some small way, begin to make up for that now.

He keyed in the code that Padmé gave him for Luke's apartment, hoping that his son was home and if he wasn't then he'd wait. The apartment was bathed in low light as he entered and walked in but then a very familiar voice made him stop cold before he saw her.

"Oh, Luke," the voice purred, "I've been waiting for you."

The voice belonged to Mara Jade who laid on Luke's couch clad in only the skimpiest lingerie he had ever seen, skimpier than what he had seen Padmé in recently, and by the way she laid, she was in full blown seduction mode.

"I'm not Luke," Anakin informed her, a threatening note in his voice.

Mara looked at him and then shrieked and grabbed a afghan to cover herself up, standing. "Who are you?" she demanded, grabbing her blaster from the floor under the couch only to have it pulled from her hand by an invisible force.

"Luke's father," Anakin told her as the blaster came into his hand.

Mara's eyes widened. "Vader," she said and held her chin up. "So this is what you looked like under that suit," she said.

Anakin scoffed. "I've had surgery," he said as he walked fully into the room. "My question is why you're here? No I know, You plan to kill my son as Palpatine ordered you to do, did you think I was blind to that order. I knew the old man's ploy and I killed him for it, give me a reason not to do the same to you in kind," he said dangerously.

"I have no intention to kill Luke," Mara told him with conviction.

"_Liar_."

The ferocity that he said the one simple word made Mara's eyes widen but she refused to show any fear. "I'm not lying," she said. "I wouldn't be here like this if I were," she told him as he began to slowly circle her.

"I wouldn't put it past you to use sex as a weapon," Anakin told her darkly.

Mara was incensed by the comment. "You don't know me very well," she told him.

"Oh I know you," Anakin started. "Mara Jade, birth name Calantha Sy Brighthope. Parents murdered in the middle of the night and taken to the Emperor to be trained as a Hand and a palace dancing girl as a cover, renamed at the palace. Palpation's favorite agent, you heard his voice giving you orders in your mind and carried them out without question. His last order, kill Luke Skywalker," he listed off.

Mara scoffed. "So you know those facts, you don't know me _personally_," she dismissed.

"I don't need to," Anakin told her, he eyed her critically. "If one hair on his head is harmed, one cut, one bruise, and your death will be most unpleasant," he threatened.

"This coming from the person who cut off his hand," Mara reminded him with and edge to her voice.

Anakin's eyes narrowed. "I advise you to leave _my_ son alone," he told her threateningly.

"Tough," Mara told him, defiance seeping through her body language. "I'm not going anywhere," she told him and couldn't resist the rib, "Luke doesn't want me to either, he keeps trying to make things permanent."

"Leave," Anakin threatened, a dark note to his voice.

Mara shrugged on her long jacket, effectively covering herself and reclaimed her blaster. "This isn't over," she told him.

"Oh I think it is," Anakin told her. "Or you wont breathe," he threatened.

"You don't scare me, you're nothing than a big bully," Mara told him as she left.

Anakin watched her go, his mind trying to think up ways to end her role in his son's life short of killing her.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Anakin resigned himself to the guard's search for weapons as he waited to be granted an entrance to the grounds of both the Jedi Temple and the Republic's military house. He sensed his son inside and he needed to speak to him.

"He's clear," the guard announced, finding only a vibroblade in Anakin's boot which had been confiscated.

Another guard came over. "High General Skywalker said for him to be escorted to the war room," he said.

_High General Skywalker,_ since when did his son outrank him? Anakin only allowed the mild shock to remain internal as the guards escorted him onto the premises and into the Republic's military house. The many corridors were a maze and Anakin would have been able to find his way easily, his son knew this, but he knew why. He had been instrumental in the Empire since it's formation, no one besides Luke would trust him. The guards stopped in front of a door before keying it open and ushered him inside.

Luke stood with his arms braced on a table with some schematics projected from it along side other officers including Han Solo.

"You commanded that he be brought here General," one of the guards said addressing Luke.

Luke nodded. "You can leave now, Commander," he said.

The guards that escorted Anakin nodded before leaving. Anakin remained standing by the door. "I need to speak to you alone," he said looking straight at his son.

The other officers looked at Luke for direction, no one knowing how to deal with him. Luke nodded to them. "It's alright," he said. "We could resume our meeting in a little bit."

"Are you sure, General?" Admiral Ackbar asked.

"I'm still alive, aren't I?" Luke replied ruefully. There was a muted agreement around the room before the other officers filled out, only Luke and Han remaining.

"Solo, out," Anakin said sternly as he moved away from the door. To his annoyance, Han merely rested his hip on a window sill and crossed his arms.

An officer noticed this on his way out the door and paused, wondering what Anakin would do.

"I'm not going anywhere," Han said defiantly.

"Han, just go," Luke said, his eyes fixed on his father.

"Just make sure that you shut things down," Han said as he moved away from the window and made his exit, throwing Anakin a challenging look on his way out to which earned him a heated glare.

"You look different," Luke remarked once he was alone with Anakin. He didn't shut the schematics down.

"I'm not here to discuss what I know your mother already did," Anakin told him.

Luke gave no indication on whether or not Padmé had told him or not. "Then what?" he asked, mildly curious.

"I want you to stay away from that scutta shag," Anakin told him without preamble.

Luke rose an eyebrow. "What? Now that you realize that you can't stop Leia from marrying Han you have to focus on me now?" he asked, put off by this.

"You are my son and I will not have that woman sinking her claws into you," Anakin told him.

Luke shook his head. "You really have a lot of nerve," he said. "You really think that you have a say in this?"

"Mara Jade is a lethal assassin! Her mission is to kill you!" Anakin snapped.

"I am well aware of her past, she made sure that I knew five years ago," Luke told him calmly.

Anakin frowned deeply. "Are you just stupid or blind by lust? Is she using a mind control on you?" he demanded.

Luke's eyes widened at the implication. "What goes on between Mara and myself is none of your business," he told him.

"The hell it isn't! I am your father and I know that woman well!" Anakin nearly yelled.

Luke frowned. "Yes and what a wonderful father you have been all my life," he said sarcastically.

Anakin frowned at the tone and advanced on him. "If you were any other man..." he started.

"I'd be dead, right?" Luke finished for him. "Lucky for me then," he said.

It was instances like this that Anakin had not foreseen when he learned that he would be a father. He had assumed that his children would be sensible in picking mates like he was. "You are not acting rational, you're head is clouded," he said as he stood over his son.

Luke gave him an exasperated look. "My head is quite clear, I assure you, why don't you take a peek and see for yourself," he challenged.

"I will," he said and met his son's blue eyes, eyes that he normally saw in the mirror. He focused on his son's mind, mildly surprised to see the barriers gone and grew unsatisfied when he found that it was not clouded or being controlled. But what he found surprised and upset him. "You cannot be thinking straight if you imagine yourself in love with her!" he snapped.

Luke's eyes widened at such an implication. "I...I'm not," he stuttered.

"I saw right through you, you're in love with a woman who is incapable of returning such feelings," Anakin reproached him.

"You don't know her..." Luke realized how stupid that proclamation was as soon as it was out of his mouth. Of course his father knew all about Mara.

"You would be wise to tear yourself away from her," Anakin told him.

"I don't want to," Luke told him. "And you can't force me," and he knew that was childish as soon as it was out of his mouth.

"I can force her," Anakin told him.

"Don't threaten or harm her!" Luke snapped.

"I already did," Anakin told him.

"When?" Luke demanded.

"I was at your apartment just a bit ago, she was there," Anakin told him.

"How did you know where I lived?" Luke demanded and then realized that his mother must have told him.

"Rather stupid question isn't it?" Anakin asked, reading his son's though process.

"If all you came here for is to butt into my life then you can go back to Tatooine, I've done fine for myself without you all these years, I can continue," Luke told him, hoping that jab hit home which it did when he saw the look in his father's eyes.

"You're making a mistake, a fatal error in judgment," Anakin told him. "I cannot sit by and watch you make it," he told him.

"You don't have to, you can go back to Tatooine," Luke reminded him.

"I'm not going anywhere until this problem is fixed," Anakin told him stubbornly.

"There isn't a problem to be fixed," Luke told him with equal stubbornness as he turned back to the schematics in front of him.

Anakin took that a sign to continue this when he could really corner his son. "That is where you are wrong," he told him and turned to leave. He turned back at the door. "If you are looking for a weakness, try the reactor shaft," he said before taking his leave, seeing the officers and Solo waiting outside. The officers watched him with suspicion and trepidation. "Boo," he said, eying the officers and smiled to see some of them flinch before he made his exit.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Anakin walked into the apartment on 500 Republica to find the smell of take out heating up in the kitchen. He zeroed in on it and found his wife there, her back to him. Stealthy he walked up behind her, and swept her up into his arms, making her squeal in surprise. He smiled into her hair, oh how he loved that sound and missed it terribly.

Padmé turned around in his arms to look at him. "Did you see them?" she asked.

"Yes," Anakin answered into her neck, the scent coming from her hair becoming intoxicating.

"And?" Padmé persisted.

"I took Leia to Dex's and then I went to speak to Luke, the boy is stubborn and headstrong, too stubborn for his own good," Anakin told her, his hold onto her tightening.

Padmé knew what he wanted, she could feel it pressing against her stomach. "Ani, I haven't eaten all day," she informed him.

"I can wait," Anakin told her, taking a seat at the table. Padmé raised an eyebrow at him. Anakin looked at her. "You think that I never had raging hard ons during our separation, that I didn't dream about you?" he asked in response.

"Did you do anything about them?" Padmé asked.

"No."

Padmé turned back to the food that was heating up. "You thought I had died, Anakin," she reminded him.

"You're the only woman I have ever wanted. No other caught my interest," Anakin told her earnestly. Padmé turned to look at him and he caught the look in her eyes. "I swear to you. You are the only one," he told her, not liking how she was thinking.

"You're hiding something," Padmé told him.

"No one after we have been married. I swear that is the truth," Anakin amended.

"Who?" Padmé demanded.

"Girls that I used to run around with in the lower levels, but I stopped once I was reunited with you," Anakin answered honestly. "One look at you and you were the only one that I wanted."

Padmé took a seat once her food had finished heating and slowly began to eat. "You were always insatiable," she pointed out.

"I learned to live without," Anakin told her.

Padmé looked at him. "I..." she started.

Anakin looked away. "Why are you doubting me?" he asked.

"I'm not, it's just..." Padmé was at a lost for words.

"Just that you can't see me spending the rest of my life as a grieving widower, well you're wrong," Anakin filled in.

"Anakin..." Padmé began but stopped when he rose and lifted her from her seat, lifting her plat to the counter while setting her down on top of the table, her legs spread and skirt hitched up and settling himself between them. "Do you want me to show you that I desire you alone?" he asked, his voice husky and his mouth an inch from hers.

Padmé's body trembled with need, her stomach forgetting the food it was promised for the meantime. "Yes," was all she was able to reply with.

No sooner had she uttered the word then expert hands began to unbutton the back of her dress and dragged it down off of the top half of her body before a warm mouth attached itself to her right breast, a hand coming up to kneed the other. Padmé threw her head back and arched into his mouth. She didn't worry about any interruptions, no one would be coming here, their children didn't know about this apartment and she no longer had any security or handmaidens. When Anakin switched from one breast to another, Padmé's hands began tearing at his clothes, they were cut in the same way his Jedi robes had been which made it easier for her, knowing the way. Soon he was bare from the waist up and his mouth had returned to hers for the most heated kiss she had in the longest time. It left her breathless and wanting much more as her hands flew to the fly of his trousers, undoing it as quickly as she could, freeing the hard erection from it's confines as she yanked his pants down. She groaned in appreciation into his mouth as he yanked her hips to the edge of the table and he pushed himself inside her, her legs tightly wrapping around his waist.

Oh how she loved this man, every inch of him, most importantly the hard length of him sheathed in her confines. Her hips moved in rhythm with his from years of practice after practice. Hard thrusts were met with equal ardor as they sated a hunger that only each other could while his arms anchored her in place, flush against his chest. Padmé didn't fight when he leaned her back against the table, his weight over hers. He was larger than she remembered and most of it muscle with the small amount of body fat that came with age. Her nails clawed at the muscled planes of his back as she arched against him, calling out his name over and over again, professing her unyielding love for him and he returned in kind, calling out her name, calling her "Angel" and crying "mine" over and over again against her neck. His thrusts were more aggressive than what she was used to but she didn't care, she lavished in the way he loved her with his body, years of being denied this feeling behind her. With each thrust came a friction over her clit that was driving her mad until her body couldn't take it anymore and she screamed his name as her body shook and she was wound up in an orgasm like she had never had before. Her own orgasm herald his as he cried out her name, his thrusts becoming more erratic before he stiffened and erupted deep inside her.

Both panting from what they had just shared, Anakin reached up to wipe away a strand of sweat soaked hair from her forehead. "I haven't felt this way in so long, to think I went this long without your for nothing..." he couldn't finish.

Padmé wrapped her arms around his neck. "I agree," she told him breathless. She caught her breath before she felt her stomach growl. "I'm still hungry," she told him and was rewarded with his laugh. "What?" she asked.

"It's just that I'm usually the one who thinks of food after what we just shared," Anakin told her, lifting himself off of her and helping her to sit up.

Padmé hadn't thought of that in so long that she laughed before she smiled. "You remember?" she asked.

"I remembered everything about you, your smile, your laugh, they way you smelled and tasted," Anakin finished, looking deep into her eyes.

Padmé couldn't stop the blush that came over her at the look in his eyes. Mercy, he knew exactly how to make her feel like a wanton woman still. Even at their advanced age and after two grown children, he still had that affect on her. She felt the heat of his gaze as she redressed herself while he did the same. She reclaimed her seat and he handed her back her plate, it having been sitting under the heater while they made love on the table. He had been that thoughtful and Padmé knew, like so many times, that she had lucked out as husbands went. As she began to finally eat, her eyes locked with his across the table. "We should have the kids over for dinner tonight," she told him.

"They may be more receptive if you were the one to invite them," Anakin replied. "I just matched wits with Luke and, right now, I'm not sure where Leia stands. No, we didn't argue, for once," he told her.

Padmé absorbed what he had said and decided to com her children herself. She knew all too well of the parallels between her children and their father.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Luke, Leia, and Han rode the turbo lift together, both Luke and Leia had received an invitation to their mother's apartment on Coruscant and heard the pleading note in their mother's voice as she asked them to come and have dinner with her. Even if they knew that their father was on Coruscant and that he was probably, okay most likely, going to be there himself, they couldn't refuse their mother when they heard her plea. Not with what she had gone through, they couldn't.

So they were now riding a turbo lift together that seemed to go on forever, soaring up high into the skyline, the city soaring before and with them. All three of them wondered when the lift would stop, all they pressed was the button that had their mother's name next to it, they didn't know what floor or apartment it was until finally the lift stopped and they found out that they were on the top floor. The lift doors opened to an anteroom before another set of doors that opened under movement sensors. They entered a luxurious apartment fit for a queen, decorated in steal blue and richly furnished with exotic furniture. There was even a balcony amongst the transpersteel walls. There wasn't anyone to greet them which had each raising their eyebrows before Luke motioned with his hands for Leia and Han to follow him, he sensed that the apartment wasn't empty and he sensed two lifeforms inside the apartment. They went deeper into the apartment down a flight of stairs and through a hall leading in tow directions, one to a large veranda with an excellent view of the Jedi Temple, and into what was a spacious kitchen. As they caught sight of the kitchen they froze.

There was Anakin and Padmé, each laughing at something or another. Padmé was perched on a counter while Anakin cooked. Padmé reached for a piece of shuura only to find that the bowel had moved away from her. "Anakin," Padmé said, her voice both scolding and pleading.

Anakin cut a piece of shuura and floated back to her which she bit in mid air, savoring the sweet juicy flavor.

"Ah hem," Luke cleared his throat.

Padmé turned to the trio and beamed. "I thought you were coming an hour from now," she told them.

"We came early," Leia stated, pointing out the obvious.

Padmé slid off of the counter and walked over to them. "You're father is still cooking," she told them. "We have time before the food is ready."

Han leaned in closer to Leia. "Who would have thought, Vader cooks," he said unbelievingly.

"I heard that," Anakin said, his back to them.

"Anakin always cooks, I have no culinary skills," Padmé said, looking at her children and Han. "If he wasn't a jedi, he could have easily made his way as a cook or an engineer," she said. She glanced back at her husband, "Something I know he would have enjoyed," she said.

"I only cook for you," Anakin informed her, not glancing behind him.

"Engineer then," Padmé said with a smile.

Luke and Leia shared a look and then with Han. Not a one of them ever pictured Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader as a happily married man, but they were now seeing it. They could see the love between Anakin and Padmé. To Luke and Leia this was a relief, to Han it was uncharted territory.

"Why don't we have a seat, then," Padmé suggested, gesturing to the oval glass table in the room with six plush chairs sitting around it. The very same table that she and Anakin had made love on only hours ago. She took a seat at the opposite chair of the head of the table while Leia and Han took a seat at her right and Luke and her left. Han really didn't want to sit next to the man he was sure would make his life hell but had no choice as Leia chose to sit next to her mother and so did Luke. "How was your day?" Padmé asked.

"Eventful," both Luke and Leia said, each glancing at Anakin.

"Yes, I know that you each had a visit from your father," Padmé told them.

"So you know about the assassination attempt on Leia then," Han said.

Padmé shot a glare at her husband who visibly stiffened. "No, I did not," she said frowning.

"I took care of it, there was no need to tell you," Anakin told her defense, silently cursing Han Solo and vowing to get even.

Han mentally smiled at the thought of getting Vader into trouble. He didn't let it seep into his voice though. "It happened while she was at lunch. We don't know what the assassin said to _him_," Han gestured towards Anakin.

Padmé turned to Anakin. "What did he say, Ani?" she demanded.

"It doesn't matter, I took care of it," Anakin told her.

"It does too matter," Padmé insisted. "This is _our_ daughter, I demand to know," she told him. When he didn't say anything she grew more annoyed. "I swear, Anakin, I will retrieve my blaster and blast you," she threatened.

Anakin didn't doubt her threat, she had done so before and he had been unable to sit for a week. He turned around to look straight at her. "All I got was a name, I have someone following up on it as we speak," he told her.

"What name?" Padmé demanded.

"You don't need to worry about it, it will be taken care of," Anakin told her stubbornly.

"And who do you have following up on this?" Padmé demanded, continuing her interrogation.

"A trusted agent who has worked for me for years, I had him tailing Luke once before to keep him alive, he is very competent," Anakin told her.

At the news that he had been tailed, Luke looked properly affronted. "You had someone following me?! That does it!" he snapped.

"He's not following you anymore, there is no reason to get wound up," Anakin told him dismissively.

"The point is that he was following me!" Luke told him.

"Your point?" Anakin asked unconcerned.

Luke did a double take. "You can't have people following me! Or Leia!" he added the last part at the look Leia threw him.

"I can do whatever I like," Anakin told him stubbornly and unconcerned.

"I agree with the tail, put this man on Leia's guard," Padmé said, looking at her husband.

"What?!" Leia cried in outrage. "I do not want or need a babysitter!"

"If I didn't notice being followed then you wont either," Luke grumbled to his sister.

"It's not a bad idea," Anakin agreed with his wife.

Leia threw them both an exasperated look and leaned back heavily in her chair, and shot a glare at Han who balked under it.

Padmé watched her daughter silently thinking how much her reaction was to hers many years ago.

"She reacts the same way you do at extra security," Anakin said, looking at his wife, voicing her thoughts.

"So it seems," Padmé said. "Now that I am on the other side, I see the necessity," she told him.

Luke and Leia looked at each other. "Huh?" they said confused.

"Your mother was a very controversial politician, she attracted many assassins in her glory days," Anakin informed them.

Padmé looked at him with a glare. "What do you mean by 'glory days'" she demanded.

"I'm speaking about when you were in politics," Anakin expertly skirted the issue.

"I can still run in politics, you know," Padmé told him.

"I am aware of that," Anakin told her. "Should you do so, you would have my vote and not because we are married, because I respect you politically," he told her.

"See that you do," Padmé told him.

Luke, Leia, and Han looked at each other, clearly seeing who was the dominant one in the relationship and that one wore a skirt. They had thought otherwise over the years.

Anakin set down a dish of fodu in green fire sauce on the table to which Padmé was the first to get her helping of.

"I love it when you cook, Ani," she told him, happy to eat his cooking.

"That good then?" Han said, taking a helping and was surprised by how good it tasted.

"Han is also a good cook," Leia said to her mother as she tasted the fodu. "I don't cook," she added. Normally she didn't eat anything spicy but her appetite was changing since becoming pregnant. After weeks of not being able to hold anything down, she was finally able to eat and keep it down.

"Then we should try some of his cooking next," Padmé suggested. "Wouldn't that be nice, Ani?" she asked, looking at her husband.

"I'd rather not be poisoned," Anakin answered.

Han looked affronted. "Hey! I know how to cook, been doing it since I was five!" he said in defense.

Luke held up a hand over his mouth to hide his amusement at Han's expense. Padmé had caught the movement and she smiled at her son. "Do you enjoy the fodu, Luke?" she asked, noticing the stain on Luke's plate.

"I've never had anything like it," Luke answered. "Where does it originate?" he asked.

Anakin shrugged, "Not sure," he said, "I found the recipe today," he said. He went back to preparing the scrimpi in glockaw sauce and pulled a pan of breadsticks from one of the focus cookers that was positioned in a wall with four of them and placed the pan on a pressured glass counter that could withstand heat.

Padmé got up to steal a breadstick, only to have her wrist grabbed by her husband. "I just want one," she told him.

"You can wait," Anakin told her. He went back to stirring the pletik soup while Padmé stuck her tongue out at his back in a most unlady-like move. "I saw that," he said without looking at her.

Luke and Leia looked at each other then, wondering, if their parents had raised them, if they would have gotten away with anything.

Anakin began to ladle out five bowls of soup, handing each bowl to Padmé who in tern set them on the table with soup spoons. He then set the scrimpi in glockaw sauce on simmer before taking his seat at the table. He was fully prepared to let Padmé take the lead in the conversation around the table which seemed fairly pleasant and when it was appropriate, he added his two cents in. The topics avoided were what was going on in the galaxy and Anakin's past as Darth Vader.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

In the middle of the night, Anakin was still awake. Beside him, Padmé remained sleeping soundly. He had made sure that she would. No, he was waiting for the com from Jix on the location of Eithan Caux, a man that Anakin planned to eliminate and make an example of to other would be killers for his daughter. Anakin knew that it would come at any minute, Jix was that good. And as Anakin was thinking about it, his com beeped. Sitting up, he grabbed the com and switched it on. "Skywalker," he said.

"Hey, Uncle D, I found Eithan Caux," Jix said from the other end.

"Where?" Anakin demanded.

"He owns a seedy shop in the lower levels. I stopped in and told him my employer was interested in some illegal contraband," Jix told him. "I told him to expect you in thirty minutes, I'm sending you the location now," he finished.

"Good work, your pay will be double this time if all goes well," Anakin told him.

"Sir?" Jix asked unbelievingly, never being praised before or offered more pay.

Anakin ignored him. "I will meet you in under twenty minutes," he told him, getting out of bed without waking Padmé and began to get dressed.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Anakin met Jix in the lower levels outside a dingy shop twenty minutes later. The younger man was waiting for him in a nearby ally, leaned up against a wall, his right foot pressed against it, his arms crossed and smoking a cigarra. Jix merely looked up when Anakin landed his speeder in the alley. "He works alone," he said.

"Good," Anakin said pleased. "Associates?" he asked.

"He just had a hate the vice chair club meeting, I put tractors under all of their speeders," Jix told him.

"How many?" Anakin asked.

"Oh about twenty," Jix told him. "I'll follow up on each one," he said at the hard look in his employer's eyes. "Why does this mean so much to you, I thought you and Leia Organa were enemies?" he asked.

"She's my daughter," Anakin told him strictly.

Jix blinked. "What?" he asked.

"She was stolen from me when she was born, I didn't know until recently," Anakin explained.

"Okay," Jix said slowly. "You didn't search..."

"I thought she was dead, I'm not about to live through that again," Anakin told him.

Jix stood at attention there. He understood that the loss of a child was a horrible pain and he thought he understood what made him the way he was. "So you're going to kill these people?" he asked.

"Starting with this one," Anakin told him. "You probably don't want to stick around," he said.

"You're probably right, knowing you, his screams will be heard a mile away," Jix agreed. He nodded in the direction of the shop in question, "You ready?" he asked.

"I was ready after lunch," Anakin told him as he pulled the cowl of his cloak up over his head. He let Jix lead the way inside where a electronic bells could be heard from the door opening.

"I'll be out in a moment!" came a disembodied husky voice from a back room.

Jix moved in further into the store, Anakin remained at the door. "Ey Caux, I brought my boss just as I said," Jix called in an under cover voice.

Anakin moved about the shop and spotted some shelves with a number of illegal chemicals, plucking some Bavo-6 from a shelf and pocketing it before Eithan Caux could come out.

Jix had spotted Anakin do it and what he took and he knew that Eithan Caux was going to die a very horrible death. Especially with Bavo-6 which would make the slightest cut excruciating.

A moment later Eithan Caux emerged from the back room rubbing his hands together. "What can I do you?" he asked.

"My employer is interested in torture devices," Jix informed him and gestured to Anakin, who's face was hidden in the cowl of his cloak.

"Oh, for anyone in particular?" Caux asked.

"I plan to capture the Republic's Vice Chair and use it on her," Anakin told him menacingly.

This seemed to perk Caux's interest. "Really?" he asked with a sick smile. "Then we have much to talk about, follow me," he said and went into the back with Jix and Anakin following him. He poured three glasses of a foul liquid and sat down at a table and took a drink. "Why do you hate her?" he asked, looking at Anakin.

"It is not about hate, it's about power," Anakin told him, taking a seat. Jix remained standing behind him. "You?" Anakin asked.

Caux took another drink, he didn't seem to care that his potential customer didn't drink. "She's taken down a lot of business. Thirty of my customers went bust and they all sent troops to me. Luckily I had a heads up each time and I hid my contraband. But that scutta whore is bad for business," he said.

Anakin frowned and his eyes narrowed to slants under his cowl. The insult to his daughter making him very angry. But he wanted Caux to continue to dig his own grave.

"And what do you plan to do about it?" Anakin asked.

"Me and several others are plotting her death. Perhaps you can join us. The more of us against the Republic's whore the better. Why she won't know what hit her. When I get my hands on her, every instrument in my shop will be used, she won't know suffering until she is brought here. Several of the men in my group also voiced their taste of flesh and how she shouldn't go to waste before she is dead," Caux ranted.

Anakin decided that he would hear no more and he stood up suddenly, turning the table over and pulled Caux up by the neck and slammed him against the wall, seething in anger. "I dare you to say that again," he seethed.

Jix tisked at Caux. "Shame, you just pissed off Darth Vader," he said. At Caux's confused look, Jix continued. "You were speaking about his daughter," he explained.

Caux's eyes widened in fear as he looked at Anakin. He didn't say anything.

"You will be the first to die," Anakin told him, dragging him to a hanging rack and locked him up in it.

"I don't have to stick around for much longer, Have fun," Jix said before leaving.

Caux didn't want to be left alone with Darth Vader. He had heard about his infamous torture skills and he had all type of torture available. He watched as Anakin pulled a bottle of Bavo-6 from his cloak and picked up a syringe from a table with them. "No, no, no," he chanted, knowing what it was for.

"Did you really think that you wouldn't be made an example of?" Anakin asked mildly. "Your friends can consider this a warning," he said darkly as he injected him with bavo-6. He then activated a scan grid which had been heavily modified with additional tools designed for torture, including microsurgical vibroscalpels, an electroshock assembly, diagnostic scanners and chemical injectors. Much like he used on Han Solo on Bespin. He moved Caux over to it, hoping to weaken him with it. Caux's screams of agony pleased Anakin to no end. This was a man who was a danger to his daughter, he was doing what he had to in order to protect Leia.

When Anakin decided that Caux had enough of the scan grid, he moved him away. "What are the names of your friends?" he demanded.

"No! I won't tell!" Caux told him.

"I'd like to know before I kill them," Anakin told him.

"You'll get nothing out of me!" Caux declared. His eyes widened when he saw Anakin pick up a knife specifically designed for torture.

"No matter, my agent put tractors on all of their speeders," Anakin told him. "Soon your little group will all be dead," he told him. "But names would be nice," he said as he cut into Caux's skin. He smiled at Caux's agonized screams. He cut pieces of skin off.

"I won't tell," Caux cried, he screamed as he was cut into and he felt an organ being ripped out. If there were a chance that his friends would succeed, he had to preserve them.

Anakin gave him another injection of bavo-6. He then cut into Caux again and ripped out another organ. Caux had screamed in even greater agony. "You must have a list somewhere," he said.

"I don't," Caux was nearly in tears. He screamed again as a large chunks of skin was carved out. He couldn't scream when the skin on his face was carved off. He was bleeding like a river now and he knew that he would die soon. He watched in fear as Anakin rummaged around in the shop before coming up with a prize. He looked on in fear as he saw a holo of his wife and children in Anakin's hands.

"Is this your family?" Anakin asked, eying the holo. "It would be a shame if something happened to them," he said. "I'm willing to kill for mine," he finished.

"Don't you touch them!" Caux cried.

"Tell me the names!" Anakin roared, throwing the holo aside.

Caux visibly flinched as much as he could. "Go to hell!" he cried.

"I've already been there," Anakin told him darkly. "I'll see you there with your friends," he said, picking the knife back up.

Caux screamed as best as he could as the rest of his organs was cut out of him until he died.

Once he was done, Anakin surveyed his handy work. The gruesome sight of Caux's body was to be an example to his friends. He dearly hoped that they would see it. He commed Jix. "When does that group meet here again?" he asked

"You're finished?" Jix asked, relieved that he didn't hear any screaming.

"Yes, I want to get to this group at one time," Anakin told him.

"I'll keep tracking them," Jix told him. "I'm on their tail now," he informed him.

"Keep it up," Anakin told him before finding a refresher to wash the blood off his hands and face.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Padmé woke up to the sensation of fingers delicately tangling in her hair and tracing the side of her face. Her eyes fluttered open to the sight of the most exotic and expensive looking boutique of flowers. She looked up into her husband's face in surprise. He had never bestowed flowers like this on her. "Oh, Ani, they're beautiful!" she said, sitting up and taking the flowers and inhaling their exotic scent.

"That isn't all," Anakin told her, giving her a velveteen box.

Padmé set the flowers aside and took the box and opened it, finding a complete jewelry set of the most exquisite gems and veda pearls. She knew that he had spent a small fortune alone on her this morning. She was speechless.

"Do you like it?" Anakin asked.

"They're exquisite," Padmé breathed. She looked up into his eyes. "But why?" she asked.

"I wasn't able to buy you these kind of things before, now I can. I wanted to do this," Anakin told her. "And to top it off, we're going to the Indigo Tower for diner and dancing tonight where I can show you off," he told her.

He was so romantic at times that Padmé's heart gushed. "Oh, Anakin!" she cried, throwing her arms around him. She felt his arms wrap around her tightly. She turned her head slightly to capture his mouth with hers in a kiss, wanting to make this morning even more special. The flowers and jewelry were moved to a bedside table before they began to make love all morning long.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Luke headed the team to inspect the undercity shop that had been under his watch list. There were reports of inhuman screaming coming from within during the night. He wasn't sure what he would find as soldiers pried opened the doors. The feeling of terror and torture was rife in the air. Luke knew who was the cause the minute he entered the shop. Then he spotted soldiers hurry out from the back, covering the faces. He decided that he needed to see what it was and he walked back there to be met with the most gruesome sight there ever was.

"General, there aren't any traces left by anyone but the victim," a soldier informed him after preforming a sweep.

Luke kept his eyes on the sight before him. "No, there wouldn't be," he said, knowing that his father had done this. "I want all evidence to be in my office only, this is my case," he ordered.

"Of course, General," the soldiers agreed.

Luke turned away from the sight and left the shop. He needed to plan what he would do accordingly. If he arrested his father and his mother learned about this, she would be devastated. But would his father deny doing this? Luke knew the chances there. His father never denied doing anything he had done. Luke knew his duties, he had to bring his father in for questioning, even if it killed his mother. He silently begged for her forgiveness.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Leia stormed into her parent's apartment and found no one right away. She checked all the obvious rooms before heading straight to the large bedroom in the back and stopped as soon as she entered, freezing at the sight of her father walking in from the refresher clad in only a towel at his waist and wearing a very annoyed look on his face.

"Out!" Anakin roared.

Leia crossed her arms and cocked a hip out to her side. "You're at it again," she started. "You're... let go of me!" she grew indignant when he grabbed her upper arm and forcefully shoved her out of the room and locked the door behind her. Leia managed to regain her footing and glared at the locked door. She was not going to let him off of it and stalked to the living room where she took a seat, crossing both her arms and legs and her foot began tapping in agitation.

"My bedroom is off limits," Anakin's voice could be heard, having a strict note to it as he came out, fully dressed.

Leia stood and faced him. "By all rights I should have you arrested," she told him.

"Then do it, but I guarantee you, you won't have me contained for long," Anakin told her, crossing his arms.

Leia threw down some holos of the scene Luke had found earlier. She gave her father a challenging look. "You did this, didn't you?" she demanded.

"Yes," Anakin told her.

"A confession like that will land you in prison!" Leia told him.

"Do you want to know why?" Anakin asked.

"I do not want to hear any of your twisted excuses," Leia told him.

"He hired the assassin that tried to kill you yesterday," Anakin told her.

Leia looked at the holos with a new dimension. "Why?" she asked. "Why would you do this?"

"Why?" Anakin repeated incredulously. "He wasn't going to stop until you were dead!" he told her. "It is either him or you, which would you choose?" he challenged.

"Prison for attempted assassination would have been more appropriate," Leia told him through a glare.

Anakin walked over to her. "Do you honestly believe that would have stopped him?" he challenged. "Admit it, Leia, you're relived that he is dead, it makes you feel safer," he said.

"I don't have to admit to anything," Leia told him. "What you did was unconscionable. You claim to not be Vader anymore but when I look at this and you..." she trailed off.

"Trying to kill you is a death sentence in my opinion," Anakin told her.

Leia scoffed. "What's with the change of heart?" she demanded.

"Things changed the minute I learned that you were my daughter," Anakin told her.

"That wasn't a pleasant change for me," Leia told him. As soon as she said it, she learned to regret it when she saw the look in his eyes flash before her eyes.

"Whether you like it or not, Leia, that is what you are and what you will remain," Anakin told her.

"And what does that mean to you?" Leia demanded, challenging him, looking him in the eye. She didn't look away when he stepped up to her and took her chin between his forefinger and thumb, forcing her to look him in the eye.

"Everything," he told her.

Leia knew by the look in his eyes that he meant that and all of her mother's pleas that he loved her came to mind. Still, she had her reservations. "I had a father, I don't need another," she told him.

"I don't care what you are letting yourself believe. I'm not letting you slip away," Anakin told her. "And I'm not going to stop hunting down that man's friends before they can harm you," he told her.

The idea that there were more of them alarmed Leia. "There are more?" she asked.

"At least twenty," Anakin told her honestly.

"And you plan on killing them all?" Leia asked.

"Any threat to you or Luke will be eliminated," Anakin told her. "I will not lose either one of you." he said it with such conviction that Leia was forced to believe that he loved them.

"And you don't think you're acting with an obsession?" Leia asked.

"Unless you live with the idea that you lost a child, you will not understand my motives," Anakin told her.

Leia's thoughts traveled to thoughts of the child growing in her womb. Did she want to live with that? She decided that she didn't. "I cannot condone what you are doing, the thought of it sickens me," she told him.

"It will not stop me," Anakin told her.

The fact that he could switch from a loving family man to cold blooded killer so easily unnerved her. She decided that she couldn't be in the same room with him a moment longer at this time. "I have to get back to the senate," she told him.

She didn't need an excuse, Anakin read her easily. "Then go," he told her and watched her make her exit. He picked the holos up and stashed them away in a drawer. He decided to take a long awaited nap.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

When Anakin woke from his nap, he left the bedroom, taking note of the dress that was stored in a garment bag, slung over a chair with a shoe box on the floor beside it. Padmé was home from shopping at his expense. With a smile on his face, he left the bedroom and stopped short upon entering the living room where Padmé was gazing at the holos Leia had forgotten to take with her.

Padmé turned to look at him, an unreadable look on her face. "Did you do this, Anakin?" she asked.

"That was the man who hired the assassin that attacked Leia," Anakin told her honestly.

Padmé turned back to the holos, but a look of disgust didn't cross her face. "He suffered?" she asked.

Anakin knew that she had views against the suffering of others. But he would not lie to her. "I made an example of him to his friends," he told her.

Padmé turned to him, knowing what he meant. "There are more?" she asked alarmed.

"At least twenty," Anakin told her honestly. "Leia had made enemies."

"You're going to kill the rest then aren't you?" Padmé asked.

"Yes," Anakin told her honestly. "I won't let anything happened to either Leia or Luke," he told her.

Padmé set the holos down and stood. She turned to him, her resolve like steel. "I will come with you when you confront them," she told him.

"No."

"Excuse me?" Padmé's eyes narrowed. "Leia is _our_ daughter, I have every right to confront these men that you do," she told him.

Anakin crossed the distance between them and took her upper arms in his hands, looking her in the eyes. "Angel, for me to do what I must do, I can't have you with me," he told her.

Padmé knew what he planned to do. She knew and surprisingly, she condoned it. "I want you to do what you have to do, Ani," she told him.

Anakin blinked in surprise. "You do?" he asked skeptically.

"I want them to suffer for wishing our baby harm," Padmé told him with the conviction of a mother protecting her young.

"They will," Anakin vowed. He then took her into his arms and held on tight. He didn't voice his plans, he knew what he would do without saying it. That was when Anakin's com link went off. Anakin answered it, expecting it to be Jix but it was Luke.

"I want to see you at my apartment," Luke's voice could be heard through the other end.

"Fine, I'll be there in twenty minutes," Anakin answered and closed the transmission. "Scolded from one child and now the other," he muttered.

"They don't have children of their own, they don't know the extremes a parent will go for his child," Padmé reminded him.

"Lets hope that isn't for a while," Anakin muttered.

"They will be thirty in another month," Padmé reminded him and Anakin paused, looking at her. It was then that she realized that he didn't know when their birthday was. "I'll tell you later," she promised and by the look in his eyes, she knew that he planned on spoiling them, what with his wealth and all and all the birthdays he had missed. She kissed him before he left.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

When Anakin arrived at Luke's apartment, he found Luke sitting alone in a mountain of evidence and he knew what this was about. "Before you finish that, an upcoming fire will pop up with at least twenty victims," he told him bluntly.

Luke was momentary taken aback by that disclosure before he gave him a double take. "Don't you have a conscience?" he demanded.

"Not when it comes to protecting my family," Anakin told him. "Am I to be interrogated?" he asked.

"I'm debating on whether I should bury this for the first time in my life," Luke told him honestly.

"That would be most helpful," Anakin told him seriously.

Luke gave him an exasperated look. "When will you stop killing people!" he demanded. "When it was just slavers I didn't have to clean it up!"

"I'm not asking you to clean it up. I left no evidence that could lead to me," Anakin told him.

"And what am I to tell his family?" Luke demanded.

"That was no family man," Anakin told him.

"And you are?" Luke challenged.

"I do the best that I can, you and your sister keep throwing up resistance, it is not my fault," Anakin told him.

"Oh and turning to the dark side did wonders," Luke said dryly.

"I thought we were over that, I guess that was my mistake," Anakin told him.

Luke sighed deeply. "I am over that," he said.

Anakin rose an eyebrow. "You brought it up," he pointed out.

Luke stood to face him. "Give me a reason to bury this," he asked.

"He wanted your sister dead, I have his confession recorded, you can listen if you'd like," Anakin told him.

"I think I'll pass," Luke told him decisively. He didn't want to hear what kind of torture would make the man confess. "What about the twenty you plan on killing next?" he asked.

"Associates of the man you found, all wanting the same end, your sister's death," Anakin told him.

"I can't talk you out of this can I?" Luke asked tiredly.

"No, you cannot," Anakin told him stubbornly.

"Then make it look like an accident," Luke begged, hardly believing what he was saying.

"Since you asked nicely," Anakin agreed, happy that he wasn't getting a lecture. He sat down on the couch and frowned when he pulled out a piece of women's lingerie. "I see _she_ has been back," he said icily.

"Your opinion on the matter matters as much as yours on Leia and Han," Luke told him.

Anakin scowled. "Think I have a say when _my_ son gets involved with a woman who means to kill him," he told him.

"Mara is not going to kill me," Luke told him.

"She hears Palpatine's commands in her head, it is painful for her to not follow them," Anakin pointed out.

"She doesn't hear him anymore," Luke told him.

"Did she tell you that obvious lie?" Anakin demanded.

"It isn't a lie," Luke told him. "I was with her when she stopped hearing him," he said as he went to a cabinet and opened a drawer, pulled something out before handing it to his father.

Anakin looked down at his old lightsaber, the one Obi-Wan had taken from him. "Is this supposed to mean something to me?" he demanded.

"A dark Jedi used the hand you cut off to clone me, the clone was armed with that and trained to kill me and take my place. Mara killed the clone, saving my life and ending the emperor's influence on her," Luke told him.

"You trust her because of that?" Anakin demanded.

"Yes," Luke told him. "I trust her with my life."

"Then you are a fool!" Anakin snapped, standing up to tower over his son.

Luke stood to his full hight and looked up to stare his father down. "And you are too stubborn to admit you are wrong," he challenged.

Anakin glowered at him, the urge to smack him being too great to resist at the moment, but he managed. "I am ordering you to end this foolish fling you have going on!" he snapped.

Luke's eyes widened at the order and then narrowed. "I am not one of your subordinates. I will not follow orders from you," he told him stubbornly.

"You are my son, you will do as I say!" Anakin snapped.

"That may have worked when I was kid, but you lost your chance. I'm not ending things with Mara," Luke told him.

Anakin's hands tightened into fists. His patience had been tried to the brink. "I will not stand for this, one way or another, you and that woman will be over," he told him in clipped tones.

Luke was both annoyed and amused by his father's reactions. "Didn't you promise to take my mother out?" he asked. At his father's sharp look, he explained. "We had lunch, she told me how you surprised her this morning and of your plans. She seemed very pleased," he told him.

"This is not over," Anakin told him before he left the apartment, purposely leaving the lightsaber behind.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

It was after dark and Luke knew at this moment that his father was too busy wining and dining his mother to pay attention to what he was doing. Upon landing his speeder at the scheduled meeting spot, he hopped out and stood by the rippling fountain, watching the water cascade. He felt her approach and at the last minute caught her in his arms, pulling her in for a soul searching kiss. He wondered if his father's assumption were true and he really was in love with Mara. With the amount of fighting for her that he had gone through recently, there had to be something there.

Mara pulled back to look at him. "What was that for?" she asked.

"You cannot believe how much fighting I have been engaged in with my father, he's on the brink of striking me," Luke told her.

"Yes, I bet he is. He threatened my life if I did not end things with you," Mara told him.

Luke had an exasperated look on his face and raked a hand through his hair. "I don't know what to do with him," he said tiredly.

"Why not cut him from your life?" Mara suggested.

"I can't do that, it would kill him and disappoint my mother," Luke sighed. "He is insistent that things between us become over, he even gave me an order to end things between us," he told her.

"If this is causing friction in your family, then why are you fighting?" Mara asked. She didn't understand families but she did understand that they shouldn't fight.

"I...I don't know," Luke admitted. He met Mara's expectant stare. "It's just that something tells me that this is worth fighting for," he offered lamely.

This disclosure encouraged Mara some. "And what is this anyway?" she asked. She really didn't have a name for it, other than the feelings she knew that she shouldn't have.

Luke looked her in the eye. "What is it that you want it to be?" he asked.

"I... I don't know," Mara answered honestly. She was somehow mesmerized by his gaze. She didn't realize she was disclosing her feelings until they were out. "I just know that I shouldn't be feeling what I am," she told him.

"And what is that?" Luke asked, wondering what he was feeling himself.

"I don't know what it is, I just want to be with you more than anything, I've never felt this," Mara confessed. No sooner had she confessed it then she was pulled flush against his chest and kissed like their lives depended on it and she clung to him for dear life.

He pulled away suddenly and looked her in the eye. "Marry me," he urged without thinking.

Mara's mouth gaped as she looked at him in shock. "Won't your family protest?" she asked.

"Lets not give them a chance to, we can elope, tonight," Luke told her.

"It would really tick your father off," Mara pointed out.

"Do you care?" Luke asked. "Because I don't."

Mara smiled at the thought of his father's reaction should he find out. "No, I don't care. And lets do it," she told him.

Luke took her hand in his and pulled her along to his waiting speeder. He knew that the justice of the peace was still open. By the end of the night, they would be married.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

As they waited for the next course, Anakin took Padmé's hand in his and kissed the underside of her wrist. She wore a royal blue gown that was ultra sensual, backless and extremely low cut. She was also wearing the jewelry he had given her. She looked like a million credits with her chestnut curls swept atop her head with a rhinestone barrette, exposing her neck to him. He knew that there were a few holocams aimed at them. It was the first time in years that they were really out in the public eye and they were together, he knew the media hounds would be watching and he knew the next day's headlines.

Padmé loved the way his mouth trailed feather light kisses up her arm in line with her pulse. It left her heart fluttering. "Ani, I used to dream that we would have a night like this," she told him.

"I live to make your dreams come true," Anakin told her, kissing her knuckles.

Her heart fluttered some more, he still had that effect on her. Padmé smiled. "And such over the top complements," she said, loving them. She too was aware of the holocams aimed at them.

"I love you with all that I am," Anakin told her.

"And I you," Padmé told him. "I wonder what the kids are doing," she pondered.

"I don't care at the moment," Anakin told her honestly, "All I want to focus on is you."

"Ani..." Padmé was prevent from saying more when he leaned in to kiss her as deeply as he ever had. Her hand flaked through his short hair as his cupped the back of her head. When he broke away she was left with wanting more before he stood and took her with him.

"Dance with me?" he said close to her ear. Padmé merely nodded before he lead them to the dance floor where they danced in rhythm to the music of the band playing. She was surprised to learn that he could dance.

"You can dance," she said surprised.

"I was a clumsy child, it was suggested that I learn to dance to overcome my clumsiness," Anakin told her. "It somehow helped me with my forms," he added.

Padmé smiled. "Well I am grateful," she said as she leaned into him, pressing the side of her face against his shoulder.

"I'm happy that you approve," Anakin told her as he was finally able to spot the holocams. Let them watch them, Anakin really didn't care. They had waited so long to being able to be out in the open with their relationship, they weren't going to let the media hounds ruin this for them. As he rested his chin atop her head, he closed his eyes. He was happy, truly happy, for the first time in many years. He didn't want this moment to end.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Across town at the justice of the peace, Luke and Mara stood facing each other, hands clasped while a judge presided over their vows. They had chosen the more standard vows and stood looking into each other's eyes as the judge spoke. Luke's eyed were fixed on her green orbs as he spoke. "I, Luke Skywalker, hereby swear to stand by you, Mara Jade, through better or worse, in sickness and in health, to give to you my mind, body, and soul until the end of my days," he vowed

Mara paused momentarily. She knew that it was her turn to speak but her mind replayed the drastic turn her life has taken, from imperial hand to smuggler and now the wife of the jedi she had once been ordered to kill. She wondered what the emperor would say to this and found that she didn't care. All that she cared about was standing in front of her. Finally she spoke. "I, Mara Jade, hereby swear to stand by you, Luke Skywalker, through better or worse, in sickness and health, to give to you my mind, bod,y and soul until the end of my days," she vowed.

"To break apart what the universe has bound together, let it be a crime of the highest capacity. With the laws of the Republic and the will of the force, I now pronounce you husband and wife," The judge proclaimed.

Mara looked up into Luke's eyes questionably, briefly wondering what she had gotten herself into before his hand cupped her cheek and his fingers caressed her skin as he leaned in to kiss her. As they broke away, she couldn't stop herself from saying, "Your father will be so ticked off."

"He'll get over it," Luke told her, leaning in to kiss her again.


End file.
